Cerberus

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Κέρβερος (Kérberos), possibly cognate with Sanskrit शबल (śabala), कर्बुर (karbura), "speckled, spotted color," possibly Proto-Indo-European *ḱerberós (“spotted”), but unlikely as the phoneme *b was exceedingly rare in PIE.

Proper noun

Cerberus m

1. A taxonomic genus within the family Colubridae – certain water snakes.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Κέρβερος (Kérberos)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɝbəɹəs/

Proper noun

Cerberus

1. (Greek mythology) The giant three-headed dog who guards the entrance to Hades; and one of the many offspring of Echidna and Typhon.
2. (astronomy) A former constellation of the northern sky, near Hercules.