This week's theme
Words from mythology

This week's words
odyssey
cimmerian
narcissist
atlas
charon

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(AT-luhs)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A person who supports a great burden.
2. A book of maps, charts, tables, plates, etc.
3. The first vertebra of the backbone.
4. A size of drawing paper 26x33 or 26x34 inches
5. An architectural column in the shape of a man. (Plural: atlantes. Another word for this is telamon. The female equivalent is caryatid.)

ETYMOLOGY:

After Atlas, a Titan in Greek mythology, who was condemned by Zeus to support the heavens. A book of maps is called an atlas because early books of this kind depicted Atlas on the cover holding the earth on his shoulders. Earliest documented use: 1589.

USAGE:

"Williams's performance is forced, as if he believes he is an Atlas holding up the whole picture."
Afterlives; Stanley Kauffmann; The New Republic (Washington, DC); Oct 26, 1998.

See more usage examples of atlas in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: