Sisyphus

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Sisyphus \Sis"y*phus\, n. [L. Sisyphus, Sisyphus, fr. Gr. ????.]
     (Class. Myth.)
     A king of Corinth, son of Aeolus, famed for his cunning. He
     was killed by Theseus, and in the lower world was condemned
     by Pluto to roll to the top of a hill a huge stone, which
     constantly rolled back again, making his task incessant.


     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Sisyphus
       n : (Greek legend) a king in ancient Greece who offended Zeus
           and whose punishment was to roll a huge boulder to the
           top of a steep hill; each time the boulder neared the top
           it rolled back down and Sisyphus was forced to start
           again