herostraticherostratic

The story

From Herostratus + -ic (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives from nouns). Herostratus is a learned borrowing from Latin Hērostratus, from Ancient Greek Ἡρόστρατος (Hēróstratos), from Ἥρᾱ (Hḗrā, “Greek goddess of marriage, women, and family”) + στρᾰτός (strătós, “army, military force; band or body of men; common people”). Herostratus (died c. 356 B.C.E.) was a Greek arsonist who sought fame by destroying the second Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (now in Izmir Province, Turkey), according to tradition by setting fire to it on 21 July 356 B.C.E., the birth date of Alexander the Great.