Argus-eyed

English Alternative forms en argus-eyed Etymology en Argus eye -ed, a parasynthetic formation (compare en blue-eyed, en eagle-eyed). From Argus Panoptes (grc Ἄργος Πανόπτης all-seeing Argus, from grc πᾶν all + grc ὄπτης one who sees), a many-eyed giant of Greek mythology who served Hera as a watchman. Set to guard Io (mythology) Io, a priestess whom Zeus had transformed into a heifer, Argus kept unceasing watch because some of his hundred eyes always remained open; he was eventually lulled asleep and slain by Hermes, after which Hera set his eyes into the tail of the peacock. His name became proverbial for unsleeping watchfulness, whence the adjective. Attested since before 1500. Compare the roughly contemporaneous en Argus-like (from 1597), and the unrelated-in-sense but same-eponym en argus (“a butterfly marked with eyespots”). Pronunciation en /ˈɑːɡəsˌaɪd/ RP en /ˈɑɹɡəsˌaɪd/ GA en Ar gus-eyed Adjective more Ever vigilant; watchful to the point that nothing escapes notice. en eagle-eyed hawk-eyed lynx-eyed open-eyed wakeful watchful Thesaurus:vigilant en heedless inattentive oblivious unobservant en Nothing got past the Argus-eyed proctor at the back of the hall. en 1899 Henry Theophilus Finck Primitive Love and Love-Stories […] the Argus-eyed surveillance to which women are subjected. Possessing exceptionally keen eyesight; sharp-eyed. en keen-sighted quick-sighted sharp-sighted en An Argus-eyed hawk can pick out a mouse from half a mile up. Usage notes Chiefly literary and somewhat formal. The word is frequently applied not only to persons but figuratively to institutions, systems of surveillance, and inanimate watchers (an Argus-eyed press, Argus-eyed cameras). Usually capitalised, reflecting the proper name from which it derives, though the lowercase en argus-eyed is also well attested. Related terms en Argus en Argus-like en argus en panoptic en panopticon Translations ever vigilant Polish: pl pl argusowe oko Romanian: ro vigilent, ro cu ochii în patru possessing keen eyesight Polish: pl pl argusowe oko Romanian: ro See also en Thesaurus:vigilant en eponyms parasynthetic adjectives