Atalanta

[ at-l-an-tuh ]

/ ˌæt lˈæn tə /

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
It's so funny—it's so long since I've seen your hair, Atalanta, dear.
Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays|Various
Before Hardwick could accept or refuse, she sprang up the narrow winding path as lightly as Atalanta.
A Son of Perdition|Fergus Hume
I felt inclined to wave my hat in the air, and cry, ‘Bravo, Atalanta!’
Not Like Other Girls|Rosa N. Carey

Even if Prince Meleager had lived, it is doubtful if he could ever have won Atalanta to be his wife.
Old Greek Folk Stories Told Anew|Josephine Preston Peabody
If you do not, he'll be with you again, like Atalanta in the fable, and make you drop another of your golden apples.
Dryden's Works Vol. 3 (of 18)|John Dryden

British Dictionary definitions for atalanta

Atalanta

/ (ˌætəˈlæntə) /

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