Cadmean

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Of or relating to Cadmus, the mythical founder of Thebes in Greek legend ; describing a triumph gained at such terrible cost that it nearly destroys the winner
2. Connected with the legendary Greek hero Cadmus who founded Thebes ; referring to a win so expensive to achieve that it ruins the one who wins it
3. Belonging to the myth of Cadmus, traditionally credited with bringing the alphabet to Greece ; used of a victory that leaves the victor devastated by its price

Etymology: Cadmus, in Greek myth, was the Phoenician prince who founded Thebes, and the adjective "cadmean" simply means relating to him. Its other ancestor, "Cadmea," was the name of the citadel at the heart of Thebes, so the word can also point to that stronghold. The pairing of a personal name and a place name in one word is a neat reminder that in the myths the founder and his city were nearly inseparable. The myth itself explains the link. Cadmus was said to have sown the teeth of a slain dragon, and armed men sprang from the furrows to become the first Theban nobility. The founding of a city from a single man's actions gives the adjective its tie to Thebes and its legendary origins.