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Charon

Pronunciation: /ˈkɛəɹɒn/

The English word “Charon” has 3 meanings listed here.

proper noun

  1. The ferryman of Hades, who rowed the shades of the dead across the river Styx.
  2. The largest of the five moons of Pluto.

noun

  1. Any ferryman.

Etymology

From Latin Charōn, from Ancient Greek Χάρων (Khárōn). The name of the moon was coined by American astronomer James W. Christy in 1978, in reference to a fictional moon of Pluto in a novel by Edmond Hamilton but also influenced by its similarity to Char, a pet name for Charlene, his wife's name — hence the alternative American pronunciation, which is used at NASA.

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