Atalanta

[at-l-an-tuh]

noun

Classical Mythology. a virgin huntress who promised to marry the man who could win a foot race against her but lost to Hippomenes when she stopped to retrieve three golden apples of Aphrodite that he dropped in her path.

Also At·a·lan·te

[at-l-an-tee] /ˌæt lˈæn ti/.

Compare Melanion.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for atalanta

Contemporary Examples of atalanta

Atalanta is a young princess, and her father has decreed she must marry whichever man wins a footrace.
‘Free to Be…You and Me’ Did Not Emasculate Men
Emily Shire
March 11, 2014

Historical Examples of atalanta

But when Atalanta stood ready for the contest, he was amazed by her beauty.
Old Greek Folk Stories Told Anew
Josephine Preston Peabody
When Atalanta was born, her father heard of her birth with anger.
A Book of Myths
Jean Lang
Atalanta, daughter of the king of Arcadia, returned sad at heart to her own land.
A Book of Myths
Jean Lang
And, yet again, Atalanta stooped to pick up the apple of gold.
A Book of Myths
Jean Lang
And it wasn't named for Atalanta at all, was it, Hildegarde?
Hildegarde's Holiday
Laura E. Richards

British Dictionary definitions for atalanta

Atalanta

noun

Greek myth a maiden who agreed to marry any man who could defeat her in a running race. She lost to Hippomenes when she paused to pick up three golden apples that he had deliberately dropped

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

Word Origin and History for atalanta

Atalanta

in Greek mythology the daughter of king Schoeneus, famous for her swiftness, Latin, from Greek Atalante, fem. of atalantos "having the same value (as a man)," from a- "one, together" + talanton "balance, weight, value" (cf. talent).