Scytalism
Scytalism proper noun: the clubbing of wealthy Argives in 370 BC.
Proper noun
Scytalism
- The clubbing of wealthy Argives in 370 BC.
- But in the mean time there arose such a Sedition, follow'd with such Butcheries in Argos, that the like had never been before in any of the Cities of Greece: Which new and unheard of Cruelty was call'd by the Grecians Scytalism, from the manner of the slaughter Committed... whoever were accus'd (of...1700, Diodorus Siculus, translated by George Booth, The Historical Library..., page 433
- Diodorus refers to the second year of the hundred and second olympiad a sedition, with executions ensuing, such as, he says, were never elsewhere known among the Greeks... accusations were extended till more than twelve hundred of the principal Argive citizens were executed... Among the numerous...1836, William Mitford, The History of Greece, 2nd edition, volume VI, pages 317-8
Examples of Scytalism in a sentence
- Among the numerous seditions of Argos this, for its enormity, obtained the distinction of a name; it was called the Scytalism, staffwork or bludgeoning.1836, William Mitford, The History of Greece, 2nd edition, volume VI, pages 317-8:
- This was the rebellion at Argos known under the name of the Scytalism (cudgelling): an event hitherto unparalleled in Greek history...1872, Ernst Curtius, chapter 2, in Adolphus William Ward, transl., History of Greece, volume IV:
Forms of Scytalism
| alternative form | Scytalismus |
|---|---|
| alternative form | Skytalism |
Origin of Scytalism
From Latin Scytalismus, from Ancient Greek σκυταλισμός (skutalismós, “clubbing”), from σκυτάλη (skutálē) or σκύταλον (skútalon, “club”) + -ισμός (-ismós, “-ism”). Equivalent to scytale + -ism.
Questions about Scytalism
- What does Scytalism mean?
- Scytalism means the clubbing of wealthy Argives in 370 BC.
- How do you use Scytalism in a sentence?
- Among the numerous seditions of Argos this, for its enormity, obtained the distinction of a name; it was called the Scytalism, staffwork or bludgeoning.
- What part of speech is Scytalism?
- Scytalism is a proper noun.
Words near Scytalism in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Scytalism (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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