| chthonian | (adj) dwelling beneath the surface of the earth, Syn. chthonic, nether, Example: nether regions |
| Chthonian | a. [ Gr. &unr_; in or under the earth, fr. &unr_;, &unr_;, earth. ] Designating, or pertaining to, gods or spirits of the underworld; esp., relating to the underworld gods of the Greeks, whose worship is widely considered as more primitive in form than that of the Olympian gods. The characteristics of chthonian worship are propitiatory and magical rites and generalized or euphemistic names of the deities, which are supposed to have been primarily ghosts. |
| Chthonic | a. [ Gr. &unr_;, &unr_;, the earth. ] Pertaining to the earth; earthy; [ The ] chthonic character of the wife of Zeus. Max Müller. [ 1913 Webster ] |