atlas
atlas — noun
1. a printed book whose pages are mostly maps, used to look up where countries, cit
a printed book whose pages are mostly maps, used to look up where countries, cities, oceans, or roads are located.
Mei pulled a worn world atlas off the shelf to find Mongolia.
collocation: world atlas
Every Year 7 student at the school received a road atlas of Taiwan.
collocation: road atlas of [place]
The travel agent flipped open an atlas and pointed at a small Greek island.
An old leather atlas lay open on Grandfather's desk, showing the Pacific Ocean.
The library keeps a giant atlas on a wooden stand near the front door.
用法筆記
Frequently modified by a place name or scope (world, road, school, family). Distinguish from sense 2: a plain atlas just shows geography; a thematic atlas shows where things happen or are produced.
常見錯誤
2. a book of maps focused on one specific topic — for example, where certain animal
a book of maps focused on one specific topic — for example, where certain animals live, where a language is spoken, or where wine is grown.
Dr. Lin published a bird atlas covering every species seen in Taiwan.
collocation: bird / wildlife atlas
The wine atlas shows which valleys in France grow each grape variety.
collocation: wine atlas of [region]
A new linguistic atlas marks where each Hakka dialect is still spoken.
Farmers used a soil atlas to choose the best fields for rice.
The museum sells a historical atlas tracing trade routes through Asia.
- thematic atlas
the formal label for this kind of specialised atlas
用法筆記
Almost always preceded by the topic noun (bird atlas, wine atlas, soil atlas, climate atlas). Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 shows places; sense 2 shows the geography of one specific subject.
常見錯誤
3. the highest bone in the spine, sitting just under the skull and allowing the hea
the highest bone in the spine, sitting just under the skull and allowing the head to nod up and down.
The X-ray showed a small crack in Mr. Chen's atlas after the car crash.
anatomical context: injury to the atlas
Dr. Park explained that the atlas lets you tilt your head forward and back.
function: nodding motion
The chiropractor felt pressure on Mrs. Huang's atlas and warned of nerve damage.
In anatomy class, students learned that the atlas carries the full weight of the head.
- first cervical vertebra
the precise medical name (C1)
- C1
shorthand used in medical notes and scans
用法筆記
Specialist anatomy term; outside medical or biology contexts most speakers say 'top vertebra' or 'first neck bone'. Distinguish from senses 1 and 2 (which are books) — context almost always makes it clear.