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mythology

n.
US //məˈθɑɫəˌdʒi// UK //mɪθˈɒlədʒi// mythol·o·gy
  1. 1 traditional cultural stories (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the ancient stories of a particular group of people, often about their gods, heroes, and how the world began.

    the body of myths belonging to a specific culture or people, typically concerning deities, origins, and heroic figures.

    Example

    In Greek mythology, Zeus is the king of all the gods on Mount Olympus.

    Example

    The professor argued that Norse mythology provides a unique window into the social values and environmental fears of early Scandinavian societies.
  2. 2 false beliefs or misconceptions (n.)
    C1 Advanced Academic

    a set of ideas or beliefs about something that many people think are true, but are actually false.

    a collection of widely held but false beliefs or misconceptions surrounding a particular subject, person, or historical event.

    Example

    The book tries to challenge the mythology that success only comes from hard work.

    Example

    The documentary successfully deconstructed the mythology surrounding the billionaire's early career, revealing a series of fortunate accidents rather than pure genius.
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  1. 3 fictional world-building (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the background stories and history created for a fictional world in a book or movie.

    the internal lore and established history of a fictional universe, often used to provide depth to a narrative franchise.

    Example

    Fans of the series love discussing the complex mythology of the alien planets.

    Example

    The writers spent years developing a consistent mythology for the fantasy realm, ensuring every magical rule had a historical precedent.
  2. 4 the study of myths (n.)
    C1 Advanced Academic

    the academic study of myths and their meanings.

    the systematic collection, categorization, and analysis of myths as a field of study.

    Example

    She decided to take a course in mythology to understand ancient art better.

    Example

    Comparative mythology allows researchers to identify recurring motifs that appear across geographically isolated civilisations.
    • mythography
Origin

First attested as Middle English in 1412. From Middle French mythologie, from Latin mythologia, from Ancient Greek μυθολογία (muthología, “legend”) μυθολογέω (muthologéō, “to tell tales”), from μυθολόγος (muthológos, “legend”), from μῦθος (mûthos, “story”) + λέγω (légō, “to say”). By surface analysis, myth + -ology or mytho- + -logy.

Word family

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