[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

cadmean \cadme"an\ ka^dm=e"an, a. l. cadmeus, gr.
   kadmei^os, from ka`dmos l. cadmus, which name perhaps means
   lit. a man from the east; cf. heb. qedem east.
   of or pertaining to cadmus, a fabulous prince of thebes, who
   was said to have introduced into greece the sixteen simple
   letters of the alphabet -- alpha, beta, gamma, delta,
   epsilon, iota, kappa, lambda, mu, nu, omicron,
   pi, rho, sigma, tau, upsilon. these are called
   cadmean letters.
   1913 webster

   cadmean victory, a victory that damages the victors as much
      as the vanquished; probably referring to the battle in
      which the soldiers who sprang from the dragon's teeth sown
      by cadmus slew each other. similar to a pyhrric victory.
      1913 webster +pjc
see also:
cadmean victory pyhrric victory 

Cadmean >> C Words
Cadmean, definition of term: Cadmean
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