atlas Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun (Greek mythology) a Titan who was forced by Zeus to bear the sky on his shoulders
  2. noun a collection of maps in book form
    book of maps; map collection.
  3. noun the 1st cervical vertebra
    atlas vertebra.
  4. noun a figure of a man used as a supporting column
    telamon.

WordNet

At"las noun
Etymology
L. Atlas, -antis, Gr. , , one of the older family of gods, who bears up the pillars of heaven; also Mt. Atlas, in W. Africa, regarded as the pillar of heaven. It is from the root of to bear. See Tolerate.
Wordforms
plural Atlases
Definitions
  1. One who sustains a great burden.
  2. (Anat.) The first vertebra of the neck, articulating immediately with the skull, thus sustaining the globe of the head, whence the name.
  3. A collection of maps in a volume; -- supposed to be so called from a picture of Atlas supporting the world, prefixed to some collections. This name is said to have been first used by Mercator, the celebrated geographer, in the 16th century.
  4. A volume of plates illustrating any subject.
  5. A work in which subjects are exhibited in a tabular from or arrangement; as, an historical atlas.
  6. A large, square folio, resembling a volume of maps; -- called also atlas folio.
  7. A drawing paper of large size. See under Paper, n.
At"las noun
Etymology
Ar., smooth.
Definitions
  1. A rich kind of satin manufactured in India. Brande & C.

Webster 1913