Atlas the meaning of the word

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth.

Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic features and political boundaries, many atlases often feature geopolitical, social, religious and economic statistics. They also have information about the map and places in it.

Etymology[edit]

The use of the word «atlas» in a geographical context dates from 1595 when the German-Flemish geographer Gerardus Mercator published Atlas Sive Cosmographicae Meditationes de Fabrica Mundi et Fabricati Figura («Atlas or cosmographical meditations upon the creation of the universe and the universe as created»). This title provides Mercator’s definition of the word as a description of the creation and form of the whole universe, not simply as a collection of maps. The volume that was published posthumously one year after his death is a wide-ranging text but, as the editions evolved, it became simply a collection of maps and it is in that sense that the word was used from the middle of the 17th century. The neologism coined by Mercator was a mark of his respect for the Titan Atlas, the «King of Mauretania», whom he considered to be the first great geographer.^[1]

History of atlases[edit]

The first work that contained systematically arranged maps of uniform size representing the first modern atlas was prepared by Italian cartographer Pietro Coppo in the early 16th century; however, it was not published at that time, so it is conventionally not considered the first atlas. Rather, that title is awarded to the collection of maps Theatrum Orbis Terrarum by the Brabantian cartographer Abraham Ortelius printed in 1570.^{[citation needed]}

Atlases published nowadays are quite different from those published in the 16th–19th centuries. Unlike today, most atlases were not bound and ready for the customer to buy, but their possible components were shelved separately. The client could select the contents to their liking, and have the maps coloured/gilded or not. The atlas was then bound. Thus, early printed atlases with the same title page can be different in contents.^[3]

States began producing national atlases in the 19th century.^[4]

Types of atlases[edit]

A travel atlas is made for easy use during travel, and often has spiral bindings, so it may be folded flat (for example, Geographers’ A–Z Map Company’s A–Z atlases). It has maps at a large zoom so the maps can be reviewed easily.^{[clarification needed]} A travel atlas may also be referred to as a road map.^[5]

A desk atlas is made similar to a reference book. It may be in hardback or paperback form.

There are atlases of the other planets (and their satellites) in the Solar System.^[6]

Atlases of anatomy exist, mapping out organs of the human body or other organisms.^[7]

Selected atlases[edit]

Some cartographically or commercially important atlases are:

17th century and earlier:

• Atlas Sive Cosmographicae Meditationes de Fabrica Mundi et Fabricati Figura (Mercator, Duisburg, in present-day Germany, 1595)
• Atlas Novus (Joan Blaeu, Netherlands, 1635–1658)
• Atlas Maior (Blaeu, Netherlands, 1662–1667)
• Cartes générales de toutes les parties du monde (France, 1658–1676)
• Dell’Arcano del Mare (Robert Dudley, England/Italy, 1645–1661)
• Piri Reis map (Piri Reis, Ottoman Empire, 1570–1612)
• Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Ortelius, Netherlands, 1570–1612)
• Klencke Atlas (1660; one of the world’s largest books)
• The Brittania (John Ogilby, 1670–1676)

18th century:

• Atlas Nouveau (Amsterdam, 1742)
• Britannia Depicta (London, 1720)
• Cary’s New and Correct English Atlas (London, 1787)

19th century:

• Andrees Allgemeiner Handatlas (Germany, 1881–1939; in the UK as Times Atlas of the World, 1895)
• Rand McNally Atlas (United States, 1881–present)
• Stielers Handatlas (Germany, 1817–1944)
• Times Atlas of the World (United Kingdom, 1895–present)

20th century:

• Atlante Internazionale del Touring Club Italiano (Italy, 1927–1978)
• Atlas Linguisticus (Austria, 1934)
• Atlas Mira (Soviet Union/Russia, 1937–present)
• Geographers’ A–Z Street Atlas (United Kingdom, 1938–present)
• Gran Atlas Aguilar (Spain, 1969/1970)
• The Historical Atlas of China (China)
• National Geographic Atlas of the World (United States, 1963–present)
• Pergamon World Atlas (1962/1968)

21st century:

• North American Environmental Atlas

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Sources

• On the origin of the term «Atlas»

Online atlases

• World Atlas
• ÖROK-Atlas Online: Atlas on spatial development in Austria
• Geography Network
• MapChart EarthAtlas, free online atlas with interactive maps about topics like demography, economy, health and environment.
• National Geographic MapMachine

History of atlases

• Atlases, at the US Library of Congress site — a discussion of many significant atlases, with some illustrations. Part of Geography and Maps, an Illustrated Guide.

Historical atlases online

• Centennia Historical Atlas required reading at the US Naval Academy for over a decade.
• Historical map web sites list, Perry–Castañeda Library, University of Texas
• Ryhiner Collection Composite atlas with maps, plans and views from the 16th-18th centuries, covering the globe, with about 16,000 images in total.
• Manuscript Atlases held by the University of Pennsylvania Libraries — fully digitized with descriptions.
• Historical Atlas in Persuasive Cartography, The PJ Mode Collection, Cornell University Library

Other links

• Google Earth: a visual 3D interactive atlas.
• NASA’s World Wind software.
• Wikimapia a wikiproject designed to describe the entire world.

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈætləs/
• Rhymes: -ætləs
• Homophone: atlas

Etymology 1[edit]

From Latin Ā̆tlās, from Ancient Greek Ἄτλας (Átlas), either from ἁ- (ha-, copulative prefix) + Proto-Indo-European *telh₂- (“bear, undergo, endure”) or of Pre-Greek origin.

Proper noun[edit]

Atlas (countable and uncountable, plural Atlases)

1. (Greek mythology) The son of Iapetus and Clymene, war leader of the Titans ordered by the god Zeus to support the sky on his shoulders; father to Hesperides, the Hyades, and the Pleiades; king of the legendary Atlantis.
2. A placename
   1. (astronomy) A moon of Saturn.
   2. (astronomy) A crater in the last quadrant of the moon.
   3. (astronomy) A triple star system in the Pleiades open cluster (M45) also known as 27 Tauri.
3. (countable) A surname.
4. (astronautics, military, US) The SM-65, an early ICBM, soon developed into a long-lived orbital launch vehicle series.

Derived terms[edit]

• Atlantean
• Atlas wheatear

[edit]

• Atlas Mountains

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

Atlas (plural Atlases)

1. (astronautics, military, US) A particular model or individual specimen of the Atlas missile and launch vehicle line.

Etymology 2[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

Atlas (plural Atlases)

1. A subgroup of the Berber languages.

[edit]

• Central Atlas Tamazight

Anagrams[edit]

• AASLT, Aalst, Salta, salat, talas

Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin Atlas, from Ancient Greek Ἄτλας (Átlas).

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑt.lɑs/
• Hyphenation: At‧las

Proper noun[edit]

Atlas m

1. (Greek mythology) Atlas (mythological giant)
2. (uncommon) Atlas Mountains

   Synonym: Atlasgebergte

3. (astronomy) Atlas (moon of Saturn)

Derived terms[edit]

• atlas
• Atlasgebergte

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Learned borrowing from Latin Atlas, from Ancient Greek Ἄτλας (Átlas).

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /a.tlas/

Proper noun[edit]

Atlas m

1. (Greek mythology) Atlas (son of Iapetus and Clymene, leader of the Titans ordered by Zeus to support the sky on his shoulders)
2. (astronomy) Atlas (moon of Saturn)
3. (astronomy) Atlas (star in the Pleiades)
4. (astronomy) Atlas (crater in the first quadrant of the moon)
5. Atlas Mountains

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

• atlante

German[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈatlas/

Etymology 1[edit]

Borrowed from Latin Atlās or from Ancient Greek Ἄτλας (Átlas), from the name of the mythological figure Ἄτλας (Átlas, “Bearer (of the Heavens)”).

Noun[edit]

Atlas m (strong, genitive Atlas or Atlasses or Atlanten, plural Atlanten)

1. (cartography or reference work) atlas (bound collection of maps)
   • 1902, Geologisches Centralblatt, volume 2, page 17:

     In diesem System der Arbeitstheilung, sowie in der ungenügenden topographischen Grundlage 1 : 50 000 liegt auch die Schwäche des Atlasses, der gleichwohl für jene Zeit ein hervorragendes Werk darstellte.

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

2. atlas (bound collection of tables, illustrations on any subject)
   • 2008, Frank H. Netter, translation by Roland Mühlbauer, Atlas der Anatomie, fourth edition, →ISBN, preface:

     Jeder von ihnen hat einen Abschnitt des Atlanten gegengelesen, korrigiert und auf den neuesten Stand gebracht.

     Each one of them checked, corrected, and brought a chapter of the atlas up to date.

3. (uncommon) atlas (figure of a man used as a column)

   Synonym: Atlant

Declension[edit]

Noun[edit]

Atlas m (strong, genitive Atlas or Atlasses or Atlanten, plural Atlasse)

1. (medicine) atlas (uppermost vertebra of the neck)
   • 1893, Deutsche Zeitschrift für Chirurgie, volume 35, edited by A. Lücke and E. Rose, page 559:

     Halswirbel zeigt sich an der rechten unteren Gelenkfläche des Atlas eine leicht bogenförmige, usurirte [sic] Linie im Gelenkknorpel: […]

     The cervical vertebra manifests on the right anterior articular surface of the atlas a slightly arcuate, abraded line in the articular cartilage: […]

Declension[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

der Atlas m (proper noun, strong, usually definite, definite genitive des Atlas or des Atlasses or des Atlanten)

1. the Atlas Mountains (a mountain range in northwestern Africa)

Declension[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

Atlas m (proper noun, strong, genitive Atlas’ or (with an article) Atlas)

1. (astronomy) Atlas (moon of Saturn)
2. (astronomy) Atlas (star in the Pleiades)
3. (astronomy) Atlas (crater in the first quadrant of the moon)

Declension[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

Atlas m (proper noun, strong, genitive Atlas’, plural Atlasse)

1. (Greek mythology) Atlas (son of Iapetus and Clymene, leader of the Titans ordered by Zeus to support the sky on his shoulders)
2. an unknown-gender given name

Declension[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

Atlas m or f (proper noun, surname, masculine genitive Atlas’ or (with an article) Atlas, feminine genitive Atlas, plural Atlas or Atlasens)

1. a surname

Declension[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

die Atlas f (proper noun, usually definite, definite genitive der Atlas)

1. Atlas (family of US intercontinental ballistic missiles)

Declension[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Borrowed from Arabic أَطْلَس‎ (ʔaṭlas).

Noun[edit]

Atlas m (strong, genitive Atlas or Atlasses, no plural)

1. atlas satin

Declension[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

• atlassen

Further reading[edit]

• “Atlas” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Latin[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From the name of the Ancient Greek mythological figure Ἄτλας (Átlas, “Bearer (of the Heavens)”).

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈaːt.laːs/, [ˈäːt̪ɫ̪äːs̠] or IPA^(key): /ˈat.laːs/, [ˈät̪ɫ̪äːs̠]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈat.las/, [ˈät̪läs]

Proper noun[edit]

Ā̆tlās m (genitive Ā̆tlantis); third declension

1. (geography) A mountain in the Atlas Mountain Range in the former Kingdom of Mauretania, said to support the heavens.
2. (Greek mythology) The Titan Atlas.
   • Ovid Metamorphoses with an English translation by Frank Justus Miller. In two volumes, I, books I–VIII, 1951, page 224–225 containing Ovidus’ Metamorphoses IV, 644–645:

     «tempus, Atla, veniet, tua quo spoliabitur auro
     arbor, et hunc praedae titulum Iove natus habebit.»

     «Atlas, the time will come when your tree will be spoiled of its gold, and he who gets the glory of this spoil will be Jove’s son.»

Declension[edit]

Third-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	Ā̆tlās	Ā̆tlantēs
Genitive	Ā̆tlantis	Ā̆tlantum
Dative	Ā̆tlantī	Ā̆tlantibus
Accusative	Ā̆tlantem	Ā̆tlantēs
Ablative	Ā̆tlante	Ā̆tlantibus
Vocative	Ā̆tlā	Ā̆tlantēs

Derived terms[edit]

• Ā̆tlantes
• Ā̆tlantēus
• Ā̆tlantiacus
• Ā̆tlantiades
• Ā̆tlantias
• Ā̆tlanticus, ā̆tlanticus
• Ā̆tlantis
• Ā̆tlantius

Descendants[edit]

• Portuguese: Atlas
• Spanish: Atlas

References[edit]

• “Ā̆tlās”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Atlas in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette

Polish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin Ā̆tlās, from Ancient Greek Ἄτλας (Átlas).

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈat.las/
• Rhymes: -atlas
• Syllabification: At‧las
• Homophone: atlas

Proper noun[edit]

Atlas m pers

1. (Greek mythology) Atlas (titan who holds the sky)

Declension[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Atlas in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• Atlas in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin Atlas, from Ancient Greek Ἄτλας (Átlas, literally “The Bearer (of the Heavens)”), from Ἄ (Á, copulative prefix) + τλῆναι (tlênai, “to suffer, to endure, to bear”), from Proto-Indo-European *telh₂- (“to support, lift, weigh”).

Pronunciation[edit]

• Homophone: atlas
• Hyphenation: A‧tlas

Proper noun[edit]

Atlas m

1. (Greek mythology) Atlas (titan who holds the sky)

Proper noun[edit]

Atlas f

1. (astronomy) Atlas (a moon of Saturn)

Proper noun[edit]

Atlas m pl

1. Atlas Mountains (a mountain range in northwestern Africa)

Derived terms[edit]

• atlante
• atlas
• atlântico
• Oceano Atlântico

Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin Atlās, from Ancient Greek Ἄτλας (Átlas).

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈatlas/ [ˈa.t̪las]
• Rhymes: -atlas
• Syllabification: A‧tlas

Proper noun[edit]

Atlas m

1. (Greek mythology) Atlas (titan who holds the sky)

Derived terms[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

Atlas m pl

1. Atlas Mountains (a mountain range in northwestern Africa)

Turkish[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

Atlas

1. (Greek mythology) Atlas

Last Updated:
18 Mar 2023
— Updated example sentences

At·las

 (ăt′ləs)

n.

1. Greek Mythology A Titan condemned by Zeus to support the heavens upon his shoulders.

2. atlas A person who supports a great burden.

---

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at·las

 (ăt′ləs)

n. pl. at·las·es

1. A book or bound collection of maps, sometimes with supplementary illustrations and graphic analyses.

2. A volume of tables, charts, or plates that systematically illustrates a particular subject: an anatomical atlas.

3. A large size of drawing paper, measuring 26 × 33 or 26 × 34 inches.

4. pl. at·lan·tes (ăt-lăn′tēz) Architecture A standing or kneeling figure of a man used as a supporting column, as for an entablature or balcony. Also called telamon.

5. Anatomy The top or first cervical vertebra of the neck, which supports the skull.

---

[After Atlas. Sense 1, probably from depictions of Atlas holding the world on his shoulders that appeared on the frontispieces of early works of this kind.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

atlas

(ˈætləs)

npl atlantes

1. (Journalism & Publishing) a collection of maps, usually in book form

2. (Journalism & Publishing) a book of charts, graphs, etc, illustrating aspects of a subject: an anatomical atlas.

3. (Anatomy) anatomy the first cervical vertebra, attached to and supporting the skull in man. Compare axis¹

4. (Architecture) architect another name for telamon

5. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) a standard size of drawing paper, 26 × 17 inches

[C16: via Latin from Greek; first applied to maps, from depictions of Atlas supporting the heavens in 16th-century collections of maps]

---

Atlas

(ˈætləs)

n

1. (Classical Myth & Legend) Greek myth a Titan compelled to support the sky on his shoulders as punishment for rebelling against Zeus

2. (Astronautics) a US intercontinental ballistic missile, also used in launching spacecraft

3. (Firearms, Gunnery, Ordnance & Artillery) a US intercontinental ballistic missile, also used in launching spacecraft

4. (Celestial Objects) astronomy a small satellite of Saturn, discovered in 1980

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

at•las

(ˈæt ləs)

n., pl. at•las•es for 1-3, at•lan•tes (ætˈlæn tiz)
for 5.

1. a bound collection of maps.

2. a bound volume of charts, plates, or tables illustrating any subject.

3. the first cervical vertebra, which supports the head.

4. Also called telamon. a sculptural figure of a man used as a column.Compare caryatid.

[1580–90 in sense “prop, support”; as name for a collection of maps, said to be from illustrations of Atlas supporting the globe in early books of this kind]

At•las

(ˈæt ləs)

n., pl. At•las•es.

1. a Titan, condemned by Zeus to support the sky on his shoulders.

2. a person who supports a heavy burden; mainstay.

Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

atlas

(or Telemon) A male statue used as a column, as in an ancient Greek temple.

Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited

Translations