Temple of Apollo
- noun
- Literature
- The ancient ruins of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi are a popular tourist attraction.
Examples
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Well, it's written over the portals to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.
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Remember, it didn't say Normalize Thyself at the entrance to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.
Blog text (3) -
Visitors flock to the Temple of Apollo to learn about its historical significance in Greek mythology.
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In ancient times, people traveled to the Temple of Apollo to seek guidance from the oracle.
Synonyms
A place in ancient Greece where a woman spoke for Apollo and gave unclear predictions
A woman at Delphi in ancient Greece who gives mysterious advice from the god Apollo to people who ask
A shrine in ancient Greece where a priestess gave mysterious messages from the god Apollo
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a temple dedicated to Apollo' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'temple' (a building for worship) with the possessive/of construction plus the proper name 'Apollo'. While specific cultural details (Delphi, the Pythia) are not inferable, a B1 learner who knows the constituents will understand the basic referent as a worship site associated with the god, a pattern common across languages.
Etymology
The noun Temple of Apollo names the famous temple at Delphi where a priestess called the Pythia sat over a crack and, after breathing strange smoke, spoke short, hard-to-understand messages she said came from Apollo. So the name brings to mind a place of 'prophecy' or mysterious, often 'ambiguous' advice.