atlas

UK /ˈæt.ləs/ US /ˈæt.ləs/ Syllables: at-las

Pronunciation

Noun A1 Beginner Neutral

A book of maps.

An atlas is a book of maps. It may show the whole world, one country or a theme such as the weather or the stars. A road atlas helps drivers find their way, and a school atlas shows rivers, mountains and countries. Today many people use online maps instead, but a printed atlas still has big, clear pictures. The word comes from the name of a giant in old Greek stories who held up the sky, and a picture of him often appeared on early map books.

"He looked up the country's location in an atlas."

Example sentences

"I looked up the river in the atlas."

Level A2
"A road atlas can help you plan the trip."

Level A2
"The school library has a new world atlas."

Level A2
"He opened the atlas to a map of Africa."

Level A2

Look-alikes and common mistakes

map : A map shows one place on one sheet. An atlas is a book that collects many maps.
globe : A globe is a round model of the Earth. An atlas is a book of flat maps.

Word family and forms

Forms: atlases

map world atlas road atlas Atlas

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "atlas".

a world atlas
a road atlas
an atlas of Africa
look in the atlas
a school atlas
an online atlas

Origin

Atlas is the name of a giant in old Greek stories who was made to hold up the sky, from a Greek word meaning to bear or to endure. In the 1500s the word was used for a person who supports something. It became the name for a collection of maps, said to come from the picture of Atlas holding the world on the front of early map books.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Atlas is the name of a giant who carries the world on his shoulders. An atlas book carries the whole world in its pages.

Test yourself

Which word fits the gap? "I looked up the river in the _____."

Answer: atlas

In your own words, what does "atlas" mean?