Circean

English

Alternative forms

• Circæan (obsolete)

Etymology

Circe +‎ -an

Adjective

Circean (comparative more Circean, superlative most Circean)

1. Of or pertaining to Circe, the Greek goddess, a mythological enchantress who first charmed her victims and then changed them into animals.
2. (by extension) alluring but dangerous or degrading
   • 2004, David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas:

     Returned to the château just before it got dark, ate cold meats in Mrs Willems's kitchen. Learnt that J. and her Circean caresses were in Brussels on estate business […]

   • 2016, Robert Henke, ‎Eric Nicholson, Transnational Mobilities in Early Modern Theater (page 130)

     Another set of blinders stems from what might be called the Duessa syndrome: Protestant England associated hypertheatrical women with exotic foreignness, rhetorical display, physical allure, and Circean sexuality.

Derived terms

• Circean poison