Tantalus n. : A Phrygian king who was punished in the lower world by being placed in the midst of a lake whose waters reached to his chin but receded whenever he attempted to allay his thirst, while over his head hung branches laden with choice fruit which likewise receded whenever he stretched out his hand to grasp them.

Tantalus n. : A genus of wading birds comprising the wood ibises.

Example:
How do Tantalus and Niobe fit the definition of a “tragic” family.?

Taxonomy
Tantalus, Pausanias, dog, gods, mountain, free encyclopedia, Zeus, Kerenyi, punishment, stole, king, characters, Greek mythology, mortals, Greeks, Olympus, Demeter, tantalize.

Defination from the web:
Tantalus had both a hidden, divine sire and a mortal one. ... Tantalus became one of the inhabitants of Tartarus, the deepest portion of the Underworld, reserved for the punishment of evildoers; there ...