atlas
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a book that contains many maps of the world or a specific area.
a bound collection of maps, often including geographical data, tables, and illustrations.
Simple“We looked at the atlas to find the exact location of the island.”
In context“The historical atlas provides a fascinating visual record of how national borders in Europe shifted throughout the nineteenth century.”
Synonymsmap bookchartbook - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a giant from Greek stories who was forced to hold up the sky on his shoulders.
a Titan in Greek mythology condemned by Zeus to support the celestial heavens on his shoulders.
Simple“In the old stories, Atlas carries the weight of the world.”
In context“The sculpture depicts Atlas straining under the immense weight of the celestial sphere, a classic symbol of endurance and burden.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
the very top bone of your spine that supports your head.
the first cervical vertebra (C1), which supports the skull and allows for the nodding motion of the head.
Simple“The doctor explained that the atlas bone helps you move your head up and down.”
In context“A fracture of the atlas is a serious clinical condition that often requires immediate stabilisation of the upper cervical spine.”
SynonymsC1 vertebra - 04 C2 Proficiency
a stone carving of a man used like a pillar to hold up a roof.
a support sculpted in the form of a man, used in place of a column or pilaster to support an entablature.
Simple“The old building was decorated with stone figures called atlases.”
In context“The baroque facade is famous for its muscular atlases that appear to struggle under the weight of the heavy stone balcony.”
SynonymstelamonAntonymscaryatid - 05 C1 Advanced
a book or collection of detailed pictures and information about a specific subject.
a bound collection of tables, charts, or illustrations providing a systematic overview of a complex subject.
Simple“The medical student studied an atlas of human cells.”
In context“The researchers published a comprehensive atlas of the brain, mapping every neural connection with unprecedented detail.”
Synonymscompendiumconspectus
Atlas belonged to the Titans, the older and mightier race that ruled before the gods of Olympus. When the young gods rose against them, a war shook the heavens, and the Titans lost. Atlas, strong beyond measure, had stood on the losing side.
Zeus, the victor, did not kill him. He devised something heavier than death. He set Atlas at the western edge of the world, laid the whole weight of the sky across his shoulders, and told him to hold it up forever, so that heaven and earth could never crash together again.
And so he stood, and stands still in the imagination: a giant braced against an endless burden, arms and neck straining under a vault that presses down and never lifts. Travellers said he had turned to stone at last and become a mountain in the far northwest of Africa, the range that still carries his name.
Centuries later a mapmaker in Flanders, Gerardus Mercator, gathered his charts of the whole known world into a single great book. For the cover he wanted a figure who carried the world on his back, and the Titan was the obvious choice. He printed a picture of Atlas shouldering his globe.
The image stuck to the object. Soon any bound collection of maps took the name of the giant on its cover, and that is why the book you pull down to find a country, an ocean, or a range of mountains is called an atlas to this day.
Original etymology written by Shinotoshi Nakamura.
Twelve impossible tasks set for the strongest of mortals.
- 01
a Herculean task (idiom)
A task requiring enormous strength, effort, or determination to complete.
a labour fit for a demigod
- 02
the labors of Hercules (idiom)
A long series of extremely difficult challenges that must all be overcome one after another.
the twelve trials
- 03
like Atlas carrying the world (idiom)
Bearing a huge, crushing burden or responsibility almost entirely on your own.
the weight of the heavens