mythology

American  

[mi-thol-uh-jee] / mɪˈθɒl ə dʒi /

noun

plural

mythologies

1. a body of myths, as that of a particular people or that relating to a particular person.

   Greek mythology.

2. myths collectively.

3. the science or study of myths.

4. a set of stories, traditions, or beliefs associated with a particular group or the history of an event, arising naturally or deliberately fostered.

   the Fascist mythology of the interwar years.

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mythology British  

/ mɪˈθɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. a body of myths, esp one associated with a particular culture, institution, person, etc

2. a body of stories about a person, institution, etc

   the mythology of Hollywood

3. myths collectively

4. the study or collecting of myths

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mythology Cultural  

1. The body of myths belonging to a culture. Myths are traditional stories about gods and heroes. They often account for the basic aspects of existence — explaining, for instance, how the Earth was created, why people have to die, or why the year is divided into seasons. Classical mythology — the myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans — has had an enormous influence on European and American culture.

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Etymology

Origin of mythology

1375–1425; late Middle English mythologie < Late Latin mȳthologia < Greek mȳthología. See mytho-, -logy

Example Sentences

No masterpiece arises unbidden and unprecedented from the mind of its creator, although popular mythology prefers this interpretation to the more complex reality.

From The Wall Street Journal

But before his latest live-action contribution broke franchise records, he expanded the hunter race’s mythology through a trio of period pieces.

From Salon

Returning three years after its initial run of episodes, the second season of Dan Erickson’s highly stylized, off-putting workplace drama extended the mythology of Lumon Industries without losing its narrative bearings.

From Salon

“There’s this mythology about California being the leader all the time.”

From Los Angeles Times

By the time I was a child there in the 1980s, the place was bathed in trans-Atlantic mythology and affection for the United States, the great liberator.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• belief
• legend
• lore
• tradition