Word of the Day

by on Nov.01, 2010

myrmidon MUR-muh-don; -duhn, noun

  1. (Capitalized) A member of a warlike Thessalian people who followed Achilles on the expedition against Troy.
  2. A loyal follower, especially one who executes orders without question, protest, or pity.

He risked assassination, torture or . . . retaliation, the defining signatures of Mr. Milosevic and his ultranationalist myrmidons.
– Bruce Fein, “Follow U.S. war crimes advice?”, Washington Times, May 10, 2001

Those who created EMU [(European) Economic and Monetary Union] — mainly politicians and their myrmidons in the offices and conference rooms of Brussels — portray a beckoning landscape of wealth, liberty and economic power that will rival the United States and surpass Asia.
– James O. Jackson, “The One-Way Bridge”, Time, May 11, 1998

Myrmidon derives from Greek Myrmidones, a warlike people of ancient Thessaly.

Originally posted 2007-11-08 05:36:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Category: Various 1 Comment 

1 Comment for this entry


Comments protected by Lucia's Linky Love.