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
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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
And why was one of the victim’s hands resting on an old atlas as though pointing to South America?
Between ever more confusing information about the crimes, readers learn a lot about Wing Chun, which Henry teaches on weekends after studying in Hong Kong for a couple of years in his youth.
—
Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 24 Nov. 2024
How will the world’s most famous atlas makers deal with Trump’s rebrandings?
—Benjamin Svetkey and Julian Sancton, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2025
Most photographs of Nazi mass deportations from local archives published in our digital atlas were taken by the perpetrators, who documented the event for the police or municipality.
—Wolf Gruner, The Conversation, 24 Jan. 2025
The estate’s atlas collection is currently the subject of a research project about light’s effects on book preservation, which prompted the recent conservation of Harmonia.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024
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Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 24 Nov. 2024
How will the world’s most famous atlas makers deal with Trump’s rebrandings?
—Benjamin Svetkey and Julian Sancton, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2025
Most photographs of Nazi mass deportations from local archives published in our digital atlas were taken by the perpetrators, who documented the event for the police or municipality.
—Wolf Gruner, The Conversation, 24 Jan. 2025
The estate’s atlas collection is currently the subject of a research project about light’s effects on book preservation, which prompted the recent conservation of Harmonia.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 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 19 Feb. 2025.
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
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