draconian
UK[drəˈkəʊ.ni.ən]US[drəˈkoʊ.ni.ən]
adj
(of laws or rules) extremely harsh and severe.
adj
(of a person or their behavior) very cruel and severe.
Morpheme Breakdown
dracon
ian
dracon
dragon
ian
adjective suffix
Etymology
the word 'draconian' derives from the name of draco, an athenian lawmaker of the 7th century b.c. who prescribed death as the penalty for most crimes, even minor ones. his name, draco, is the latinized form of the ancient greek δράκων (drákōn), meaning 'dragon' or 'serpent', a creature symbolizing power and terror. the suffix '-ian' attaches to the name to form an adjective, literally meaning 'of or pertaining to draco'. over time, the literal association with the historical figure evolved into the modern abstract meaning, describing any excessively harsh and severe law, rule, or measure, evoking the proverbial ferocity of a dragon.
Analysis
Structure: dracon (dragon) + ian (adjective suffix)
dracon (from latin dracon-, stem of draco, meaning 'dragon' or 'serpent', from ancient greek δράκων (drákōn)); ian (a common english suffix forming adjectives, meaning 'belonging to' or 'relating to', from latin -ianus).
Examples
the government imposed draconian measures to suppress the protest.
critics argue that the new sentencing guidelines are unnecessarily draconian.
the company's draconian policies on internet use led to low employee morale.