Cthulhu

//kəˈθuːlu// name

name ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A gigantic fictional humanoid alien god being described with a head resembling an octopus and dragon wings and claws, around whom an insane cult developed.

    "Then, bolder than the storied Cyclops, great Cthulhu slid greasily into the water and began to pursue with vast wave-raising strokes of cosmic potency."

Example

More examples

"In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."

Etymology

Invented in 1926 by H.P. Lovecraft for his short story The Call of Cthulhu. Possibly based on chthonic (“dwelling under the earth”).

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.