at·las
atlas
- pronunciation:
- aet
lihs
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
(cap.) in Greek mythology, a Titan condemned to support the heavens on his shoulders.
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| definition 2: |
(cap.) any person who carries a heavy burden.
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| definition 3: |
a book of maps, tables, charts, or the like.
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| definition 4: |
the top vertebra of the neck.
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| definition 5: |
an architectural column in the form of a man.
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Greek mythology tells of a giant whose punishment was to hold up the universe on his shoulders. This giant's name was
Atlas. Artists drew pictures of Atlas holding up a globe that was meant to be the heavens. In the 1600s, a mapmaker named Mercator used such a picture on the cover of his book of maps. A collection of maps became known as an "atlas."