Acropolis
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 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.
"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."
- 2 the citadel in ancient Greek towns wordnet
- 1 The Athenian Acropolis. (Compare acropolis.)
Example
More examples"The Acropolis' staircase had 60 steps."
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἀκρόπολις (Akrópolis, “Acropolis”), from ἄκρος (ákros, “highest”) + πόλις (pólis, “city”).
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀκρόπολις (akrópolis), from ἄκρος (ákros, “topmost”, “tip”, “summit”) + πόλις (pólis, “city”); By surface analysis, acro- + -polis.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.