Pillars of Hercules

American  

plural noun

1. the two promontories on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar: the Rock of Gibraltar in Europe and the Jebel Musa in Africa; fabled to have been raised by Hercules.

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Pillars of Hercules British  

plural noun

1. the two promontories at the E end of the Strait of Gibraltar: the Rock of Gibraltar on the European side and the Jebel Musa on the African side; according to legend, formed by Hercules

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Example Sentences

Ceuta, perched on an isthmus with a promontory historically considered the lesser of the Pillars of Hercules of antiquity, has been a Spanish possession since 1580.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 5, 2022

Sailing towards Africa’s mighty Jebel Musa – the Pillars of Hercules, marking the continents of Africa and Europe.

From The Guardian • Nov. 4, 2018

Now their two peaks form a gate like the Pillars of Hercules, marking a way into a certain kind of American reality, as well as a bit of Sierra backcountry.

From Slate • Oct. 22, 2014

Known to the ancients as the Pillars of Hercules, the strategically important gateway between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean is laced with mirroring versions of history — a commodity in no short supply here.

From New York Times • Jan. 3, 2012

One of Galileo’s opponents, Lodovico delle Colombe, complained in 1610/11 that Galileo behaved like someone setting sail on the ocean, heading out past the Pillars of Hercules and crying, ‘Plus ultra!’

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton