atlas
a bound collection of maps.
a bound volume of charts, plates, or tables illustrating any subject.
Anatomy. the first cervical vertebra, which supports the head.
a size of drawing or writing paper, 26 × 34 or 33 inches.
Also called telamon. Architecture. a sculptural figure of a man used as a column.
Origin of atlas
1- Compare caryatid.
Other definitions for Atlas (2 of 2)
Classical Mythology. a Titan, son of Iapetus and brother of Prometheus and Epimetheus, condemned to support the sky on his shoulders: identified by the ancients with the Atlas Mountains.
a person who supports a heavy burden; a mainstay.
Charles Angelo Siciliano, 1894–1972, U.S. body-building advocate, born in Italy.
a liquid-propellant booster rocket, originally developed as the first U.S. ICBM, used with Agena or Centaur upper stages to launch satellites into orbit around the earth and send probes to the moon and planets; also used to launch the Mercury spacecraft into orbit around the earth.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for atlas (1 of 2)
/ (ˈætləs) /
a collection of maps, usually in book form
a book of charts, graphs, etc, illustrating aspects of a subject: an anatomical atlas
Origin of atlas
1British Dictionary definitions for Atlas (2 of 2)
/ (ˈætləs) /
Greek myth a Titan compelled to support the sky on his shoulders as punishment for rebelling against Zeus
a US intercontinental ballistic missile, also used in launching spacecraft
astronomy a small satellite of Saturn, discovered in 1980
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for atlas (1 of 2)
A bound collection of maps. Atlases are named after the Greek god Atlas.
In classical mythology, a Titan famous for his strength. After the defeat of the Titans by Zeus, Atlas was condemned to support the Earth and sky on his shoulders for eternity.
Notes for Atlas
Notes for Atlas
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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