Parnassus

[ pahr-nas-uhs ]

noun
  1. Mount Parnassus. Modern name Liakoura . a mountain in central Greece, N of the Gulf of Corinth and near Delphi. About 8,000 feet (2,440 meters).

  2. a collection of poems or of elegant literature.

  1. the world of poetry or poets collectively: a rhymester striving to enter Parnassus.

  2. any center of poetry or artistic activity: Greenwich Village was once the Parnassus of the U.S.

Words Nearby Parnassus

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How to use Parnassus in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Parnassus

Parnassus

/ (pɑːˈnæsəs) /


noun
  1. Mount Parnassus a mountain in central Greece, in NW Boeotia: in ancient times sacred to Dionysus, Apollo, and the Muses, with the Castalian Spring and Delphi on its slopes. Height: 2457 m (8061 ft): Modern Greek names: Parnassós (ˌparnaˈsɔs), Liákoura

    • the world of poetry

    • a centre of poetic or other creative activity

  1. a collection of verse or belles-lettres

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

Cultural definitions for Parnassus

Parnassus

[ (pahr-nas-uhs) ]


A mountain in Greece. According to classical mythology, it was one of the mountains where the Muses lived. The Delphic oracle was on one of its slopes.

Notes for Parnassus

Parnassus is known as the mythological home of poetry and music.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.