: a male figure used like a caryatid as a supporting column or pilaster
called alsotelamon
Illustration of atlas
atlas 5
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Word History of Atlas
In Greek mythology, giants ruled the world in an early age. Their rule was overthrown after a mighty battle with other gods. Atlas was one of these giants, and after their defeat, the story goes, he was forced to hold up the sky on his shoulders. In the 16th century, the Flemish mapmaker Gerardus Mercator published a collection of maps. On the title page he showed a picture of Atlas supporting his burden. Mercator gave the book the title Atlas. Later collections of maps included similar pictures of Atlas, and came to be called atlases.
Examples of atlas in a Sentence
a road atlas of the U.S.
Recent Examples on the WebMuch of the new atlas is based on data collected from the four members of the Inspiration4 mission, a space tourism flight that sent four civilians on a three-day trip to low-Earth orbit in September 2021.—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 June 2024 Color options include classy staples like black, beige, olive green and atlas pink.—Catherine Garcia, theweek, 12 Mar. 2024 Advertisement Mackinnon now keeps the atlas locked away.—Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2024 It is based on an atlas of the occupation of Amsterdam by his wife, the Dutch journalist and historian Bianca Stigter.—Siddhartha Mitter, New York Times, 10 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for atlas
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'atlas.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Atlas was one of the giants of Greek mythology who ruled the world in an early age. Their rule was overthrown after a mighty battle with other gods. After his defeat, the story goes, Atlas was forced to hold up the sky on his shoulders. In the 16th century the Flemish mapmaker Gerardus Mercator published a collection of maps. On the title page he showed a picture of Atlas supporting his burden. Mercator gave the book the title Atlas. Later collections of maps included similar pictures of Atlas, and such books came to be called atlases.
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