# Charon

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈkɛəɹɒn/ · frequency rank #56,660

## Definitions
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.

## Etymology
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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/charon