English Explanatory Dictionary

Achilles heel

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation.
  2. The Achilles tendon, the tendo Achillis.

Pronunciation

/əˌkɪl.iːz ˈhiːl/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-PerfectSoundWhatever-Achilles heel.wav

Word forms

Achilles heel Achilles heels Achilles' heel

Etymology

From the Greek hero Achilles, whom according to legend his mother held by the heel when she dipped him in the River Styx, making him invulnerable everywhere except on his heel. He was later killed by an arrow wound to the heel. Although the legend is ancient, the phrase only entered English in the 19th century. It is used as a metaphor for vulnerability, as in the earliest citation, an essay by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Synonyms

soft spot vulnerability weakness weak spot kryptonite Achilles heel chink in the armor glass jaw soft underbelly

Related words

Achilles Achilles' tendon chink in the armor feet of clay hamartia
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