Mt. Olympus

6.0

A high mountain in northern Greece that old stories say is the home of the gods

proper noun
/maʊnt oʊˈlɪmpəs/

Literature

: Monte Olimpo

Many hikers dream of climbing Mt. Olympus.

Examples

Mt. Olympus is stunning.
We could see the snow-capped peak of Mt. Olympus from the coastal village.
Ancient myths claim that Mt. Olympus was home to the gods such as Zeus and Hera.
Climbers from around the world travel to Greece to ascend Mt. Olympus each year.
Hikers often aspire to reach the summit of Mt. Olympus for its breathtaking views.
The ancient Greeks believed that the gods resided on Mt. Olympus, making it a sacred place.
Every summer, tourists flock to Mt. Olympus to explore its unique flora and fauna.

Synonyms

Olympus

vsMt. Olympus

Literature

57 6.6

A mountain in Greece that is the country's highest peak and the home of the gods in old Greek stories

is the same but often appears as the fuller formal name

Mount Olympus

vsMt. Olympus

Literature

1 4.6

The highest mountain in Greece that ancient Greeks thought was the home of the Greek gods

is identical in meaning but uses the standard English name form

Olimbos

vsMt. Olympus

Literature

7.5

A mountain in northeast Greece near the sea that ancient Greeks saw as the home of the gods

is identical in meaning but reflects a variant regional spelling

Surface Forms

Mt. Olympus main

Morphology

Mt. + Olympus

This is a compositional place name: 'Mt.' (Mount) denotes a mountain and 'Olympus' is the proper name, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to the mountain peak. The naming pattern is literal and cross-linguistically common (Mount + name), so no idiomatic or metaphorical knowledge is required.

Etymology

The name Mt. Olympus comes from ancient Greek myths about gods who lived on a high peak. People imagined that peak as the 'home of the gods', so the name still refers to that famous mountain today.