Kythera

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A Greek island located in the southern Aegean Sea between the Peloponnese and Crete, historically significant in ancient Greek civilization
2. An island belonging to Greece situated in the Aegean waters south of mainland Greece, known for its archaeological importance and mythological associations
3. A Greek island in the Aegean Sea notable for its ancient history and as a site of historical and cultural significance in classical antiquity

Etymology: "Kythera" is an alternative spelling of "Kythira", the name of a Greek island lying off the southern tip of the Peloponnese. The name was borrowed directly from the Greek "Κύθηρα" (Kýthira), so the English form simply carries over the island's own name with its Greek plural ending intact, the "-a" that marks a neuter plural in Greek. The island has long been associated with Aphrodite, whom ancient Greek writers linked to its shores, and the name has traveled into English largely as a place name rather than as a common word. Its spelling varies between "Kythira" and "Kythera" in English, with the latter closer to the form that older English writing tended to use.