Illustration of atlas
- atlas 5
1
capitalized
: a Titan who for his part in the Titans' revolt against the gods is forced by Zeus to support the heavens on his shoulders
2
capitalized
: one who bears a heavy burden
3
a
: a bound collection of maps often including illustrations, informative tables, or textual matter
b
: a bound collection of tables, charts, or plates
4
: the first vertebra of the neck
5
plural usually atlantes
ət-ˈlan-(ˌ)tēz 
at-
: a male figure used like a caryatid as a supporting column or pilaster
called also telamon
Did you know?
Word History of Atlas
In Greek mythology, giants ruled the world in an early age. Their rule was overthrown after a mighty battle with other gods. Atlas was one of these giants, and after their defeat, the story goes, he was forced to hold up the sky on his shoulders. In the 16th century, the Flemish mapmaker Gerardus Mercator published a collection of maps. On the title page he showed a picture of Atlas supporting his burden. Mercator gave the book the title Atlas. Later collections of maps included similar pictures of Atlas, and came to be called atlases.
Examples of atlas in a Sentence
a road atlas of the U.S.
Recent Examples on the Web
These first looks only built up anticipation in the scientific community, which expressed thrill and awe when ESA officials revealed the first part of Euclid’s cosmic atlas at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday.
—
Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Oct. 2024
Illumination can ruin coral reproduction The global atlas of artificial light in the sea reports that biologically significant levels of artificial light pollution penetrate to depths of at least three feet across 735,000 square miles of the ocean.
—Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Oct. 2024
Many viewers might think charting such an arduous, 55-day trip required scouring crinkled paper atlases—but as Honnold tells Popular Science, most of the time that just wasn’t the case.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 16 Oct. 2024
The information the ‘cell atlas’ provides highlights potential new treatment targets.
—New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for atlas 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Oct. 2024
Illumination can ruin coral reproduction The global atlas of artificial light in the sea reports that biologically significant levels of artificial light pollution penetrate to depths of at least three feet across 735,000 square miles of the ocean.
—Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Oct. 2024
Many viewers might think charting such an arduous, 55-day trip required scouring crinkled paper atlases—but as Honnold tells Popular Science, most of the time that just wasn’t the case.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 16 Oct. 2024
The information the ‘cell atlas’ provides highlights potential new treatment targets.
—New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for atlas
Dictionary Entries Near atlas
Cite this Entry
“Atlas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atlas. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
atlas
noun
at·las
ˈat-ləs
: a book of maps
Etymology
named for Atlas, a giant in Greek mythology
Word Origin
Atlas was one of the giants of Greek mythology who ruled the world in an early age. Their rule was overthrown after a mighty battle with other gods. After his defeat, the story goes, Atlas was forced to hold up the sky on his shoulders. In the 16th century the Flemish mapmaker Gerardus Mercator published a collection of maps. On the title page he showed a picture of Atlas supporting his burden. Mercator gave the book the title Atlas. Later collections of maps included similar pictures of Atlas, and such books came to be called atlases.
Medical Definition
atlas
noun
at·las
ˈat-ləs
: the first vertebra of the neck
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share