acropolis

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word acropolis. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word acropolis, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say acropolis in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word acropolis you have here. The definition of the word acropolis will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofacropolis, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀκρόπολις (akrópolis), from ἄκρος (ákros, topmost”, “tip”, “summit) + πόλις (pólis, city);[1] By surface analysis, acro- +‎ -polis.

Pronunciation

Noun

acropolis (plural acropolises or acropoleis)

  1. A promontory (usually fortified with a citadel) forming the hub of many Grecian cities, and around which many were built for defensive purposes before and during the classical period; compare Acropolis.
    • 1850, Karl Otfried Müller, John Leitch, transl., Ancient Art and Its Remains; or, A Manual of the Archæology of Art, page 146:
      The Etruscans, then, appear in general as an industrious people ( φιλότεχνον ἔθνος), of a bold and lofty spirit of enterprise, which was greatly favoured by their priestly aristocratic constitution. Massive walls, mostly of irregular blocks, surround their cities (not merely their acropoleis); the art of protecting the country from inundations by the construction of canals, and outlets from lakes, was very zealously practised by them.

Translations

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Acropolis” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary, second edition (1989)

Anagrams