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• atlas
  atlas

  noun

  a bound collection of maps.
• Atlas
  Atlas

  noun

  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.

atlas

¹ American  

[at-luhs] / ˈæt ləs /

noun

atlases, plural atlantes plural

1. a bound collection of maps.

2. a bound volume of charts, plates, or tables illustrating any subject.

3. Anatomy. the first cervical vertebra, which supports the head.

4. a size of drawing or writing paper, 26 × 34 or 33 inches.

5. Also called telamon.  Architecture. a sculptural figure of a man used as a column.

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Atlas ² American  

[at-luhs] / ˈæt ləs /

noun

Atlases plural

1. 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.

2. a person who supports a heavy burden; a mainstay.

3. Charles Angelo Siciliano, 1894–1972, U.S. body-building advocate, born in Italy.

4. 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.

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atlas ¹ British  

/ ˈætləs /

noun

1. a collection of maps, usually in book form

2. a book of charts, graphs, etc, illustrating aspects of a subject

   an anatomical atlas

3. anatomy the first cervical vertebra, attached to and supporting the skull in man Compare axis 1

4. architect another name for telamon

5. a standard size of drawing paper, 26 × 17 inches

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Atlas ² British  

/ ˈætləs /

noun

1. Greek myth a Titan compelled to support the sky on his shoulders as punishment for rebelling against Zeus

2. a US intercontinental ballistic missile, also used in launching spacecraft

3. astronomy a small satellite of Saturn, discovered in 1980

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Atlas ¹ Cultural  

1. 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.

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atlas ² Cultural  

1. A bound collection of maps. Atlases are named after the Greek god Atlas.

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Discover More

An “Atlas” or “atlas” is an incredibly strong person or one who carries an enormous burden.

Since the sixteenth century, pictures of Atlas and his burden have been used as decorations on maps. Accordingly, the word atlas is used for a book of maps.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Atlases
  plural
• atlantes
  plural
• atlases
  plural

Etymology

Origin of atlas

1580–90 in sense “prop, support”; as name for a collection of maps, said to be from illustrations of Atlas supporting the globe in early books of this kind

Explanation

Can’t remember which countries border Uzbekistan? Consult an atlas, a book of maps, and you’ll find the information you need. An atlas gets its name from the Greek god Atlas, who, according to myth, was forced to bear the weight of the heavens on his shoulders. You might feel like Atlas if you have to carry one of these books around. Atlases are usually large, oversized books that contain maps, diagrams, and information such as population figures. Traditionally, atlas refers specifically to a bound book of maps rather than to a folding map, a globe, or an online database.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

atlas Atlas Atlases atlases

First held in 2018, the week stems from the island's involvement with an online atlas of wildlife.

From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026

The Conservatory project has created what researchers describe as a "comprehensive atlas of regulatory conservation across plants, including dozens of crop species and their wild ancestors."

From Science Daily ● Mar. 14, 2026

The full aging atlas is available to the public at epiage.net.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 28, 2026

"It's a good idea to carry a road atlas for back-up, too."

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026

“Not the atlas guy,” Bobby Gene and I said in unison as we passed, like we always did.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon

Hyundai has said it plans to deploy Atlas humanoid robots at its Georgia megaplant starting in 2028.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Two boys, Atlas and Sebastian Carbajal, were listed on the L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

A single Atlas costs an estimated $130,000 per unit, according to a research institute owned by the South Korean government.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

Make no mistake it will be tough for Morocco against them but let's remember that the Atlas Lions were World Cup semi-finalists just four years and arguably have got better since then.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

I swung my sword, and Atlas knocked me aside with the shaft of his javelin.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan

Even the more modest buildings have distinctive flourishes, and some are simply stand-in-the-street-and-stare astonishing, like the House of Scientists, a neo-Baroque extravaganza with a huge wooden entryway flanked by twin Atlases holding up the balcony.

From New York Times ● May 31, 2022

"Rather attractive... with Atlases supporting enormous mock columns and a rather luxurious intimacy about the atmosphere".

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2022

Could Lou or one of the other Atlases take his title?

From The Guardian ● Nov. 6, 2015

The first generations of U.S. missile sites - the Atlases and Titans - once decommissioned were often left uncovered and sold for civilian use, some stripped for scrap metal, some converted into subterranean homes.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 17, 2015

Atlases and Maps, formerly the property of Samuel Butler .

From The Samuel Butler Collection at Saint John's College Cambridge by Bartholomew, A. T.

MRI-based atlases capture the brain's broad structure but not individual cells.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

His meticulous survey takes in dozens of sources, from the obscure to the well-known: pamphlets to legal codes, sermons to atlases, maps, travel narratives, even journals kept by ships’ captains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025

Other anatomical atlases exist, but these illustrations had especially fine details, including of the nerves extending beyond the brain and spiral cord.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2024

Eventually, the team envisions uLIPSTIC as a key tool in the effort to generate comprehensive atlases describing how cells interact to form tissue -- a key to the long-awaited interactome.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 6, 2024

“We shall have no more atlases covered in dust,” she said, in a voice so firm and resolute that, for once, the children found they had no choice but to do as they were told.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• album
• booklet
• brochure
• copy
• dictionary
• edition
• essay
• fiction
• magazine
• manual
• novel
• pamphlet
• paperback
• publication
• text
• textbook
• tome
• volume
• work
• writing