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myth
[ mith ]
/ mÉȘΞ /
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noun
a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.
stories or matter of this kind: realm of myth.
any invented story, idea, or concept: His account of the event is pure myth.
an imaginary or fictitious thing or person.
an unproved or false collective belief that is used to justify a social institution.
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Origin of myth
First recorded in 1820â30; from Late Latin myÌthus, from Greek mĆ·thos âstory, wordâ
synonym study for myth
1. See legend.
historical usage of myth
Myth came into English in the early 19th century via Latin myÌthus âmyth, fableâ from Greek mĆ·thos. Latin myÌthus is straightforward: it means âa fable or myth,â such as one would read in Ovidâs Metamorphoses, and in Late Latin, myÌthus is even used as a synonym for fÄbula âa story, fable.â
Greek mĆ·thos has a tremendously wide range of meaning: âa word, a speech, mere speech (as opposed to Ă©rga âdeedsâ), something said, a thought, an unspoken word, a purpose, a rumor, a report, a saying, fiction (as opposed to lĂłgos âhistorical truthâ), the plot of a play, a narrative, a story, a story for children, a fable.â
Sixty percent of Greek vocabulary has no known etymology, and mĆ·thos is probably within that 60 percent, but it is possible that mĆ·thos comes from the uncommon Proto-Indo-European root mÄudh-, mĆ«dh- (with other variants) âto be concerned with, crave, earnestly desire, think over.â Following this theory, from the variant mĆ«dh-, Greek derives mĆ·thos and its derivative verb myÌtheĂźsthai âto speak, converse, tellâ; Gothic has maudjan âto remind, rememberâ; Lithuanian has maĂ»sti âto be concerned with,â and Polish has myĆleÄ âto think.â
Greek mĆ·thos has a tremendously wide range of meaning: âa word, a speech, mere speech (as opposed to Ă©rga âdeedsâ), something said, a thought, an unspoken word, a purpose, a rumor, a report, a saying, fiction (as opposed to lĂłgos âhistorical truthâ), the plot of a play, a narrative, a story, a story for children, a fable.â
Sixty percent of Greek vocabulary has no known etymology, and mĆ·thos is probably within that 60 percent, but it is possible that mĆ·thos comes from the uncommon Proto-Indo-European root mÄudh-, mĆ«dh- (with other variants) âto be concerned with, crave, earnestly desire, think over.â Following this theory, from the variant mĆ«dh-, Greek derives mĆ·thos and its derivative verb myÌtheĂźsthai âto speak, converse, tellâ; Gothic has maudjan âto remind, rememberâ; Lithuanian has maĂ»sti âto be concerned with,â and Polish has myĆleÄ âto think.â
OTHER WORDS FROM myth
coun·ter·myth, nounWords nearby myth
Other definitions for myth (2 of 2)
myth.
abbreviation
mythological.
mythology.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use myth in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for myth (1 of 2)
myth
/ (mÉȘΞ) /
noun
- a story about superhuman beings of an earlier age taken by preliterate society to be a true account, usually of how natural phenomena, social customs, etc, came into existence
- another word for mythology (def. 1), mythology (def. 3)
a person or thing whose existence is fictional or unproven
(in modern literature) a theme or character type embodying an ideaHemingway's myth of the male hero
philosophy (esp in the writings of Plato) an allegory or parable
Word Origin for myth
C19: via Late Latin from Greek muthos fable, word
British Dictionary definitions for myth (2 of 2)
myth.
abbreviation for
mythological
mythology
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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