FromLatinAugeas +-an.Augeas is a figure in Greek mythology whose stables were never cleaned untilHercules was given the task of cleaning them.[1]
Augean (comparativemoreAugean,superlativemostAugean)
- Of, pertaining to, or characteristic ofAugeas.
- Veryfilthy.
- Huge,immense,Herculean.
anAugean task
- ^Ariadne’s Thread: A Guide to International Tales Found in Classical Literature by William F. Hansen (2002;Cornell University Press;→ISBN, 9780801436703),page 160
Herakles Cleans the Augean Stables
One of the best-known stories attached to Herakles tells how in one day he removed the dung from King Augeias’s cattle yard, which had not been cleaned in years.
