Averno

[ uh-vur-noh; Italian ah-ver-naw ]
/ əˈvɜr noʊ; Italian ɑˈvɛr nɔ /

noun

a crater lake in S Italy, near Naples and the Tyrrhenian Sea, thought by ancients to be the entrance to the underworld.
Ancient A·ver·nus.

Definition for averno (2 of 2)

facilis descensus Averno
[ fah-ki-lis des-ken-soo s ah-wer-noh; English fas-uh-lis di-sen-suh s uh-vur-noh ]
/ ˈfɑ kɪ lɪs dɛsˈkɛn sʊs ɑˈwɛr noʊ; English ˈfæs ə lɪs dɪˈsɛn səs əˈvɜr noʊ /

Latin.

(the) descent to hell is easy; it is easy to take the downward path. Vergil, Aeneid, 6:126.

Example sentences from the Web for averno

  • Monte Nuovo,—is a mountain in the environs of Naples, which blocks up the valley of Averno.

    The Book of Curiosities |I. Platts

British Dictionary definitions for averno

Averno
/ (Italian aˈvɛrno) /

noun

a crater lake in Italy, near Naples: in ancient times regarded as an entrance to hell Latin name: Avernus (əˈvɜːnəs)

Word Origin for Averno

from Latin, from Greek aornos without birds, from a- 1 + ornis bird; referring to the legend that the lake's sulphurous exhalations killed birds