mythology

[ mi-thol-uh-jee ]

noun

, plural my·thol·o·gies.

1. a body of myths, as that of a particular people or that relating to a particular person:

   Greek mythology.

2. myths collectively.
3. the science or study of myths.
4. a set of stories, traditions, or beliefs associated with a particular group or the history of an event, arising naturally or deliberately fostered:

   the Fascist mythology of the interwar years.

mythology

/ mɪˈθɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. a body of myths, esp one associated with a particular culture, institution, person, etc
2. a body of stories about a person, institution, etc

   the mythology of Hollywood

3. myths collectively
4. the study or collecting of myths

mythology

1. The body of myths belonging to a culture . Myths are traditional stories about gods and heroes. They often account for the basic aspects of existence — explaining, for instance, how the Earth was created, why people have to die, or why the year is divided into seasons. Classical mythology — the myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans — has had an enormous influence on European and American culture.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mythology¹

1375–1425; late Middle English mythologie < Late Latin mȳthologia < Greek mȳthología. See mytho-, -logy

Example Sentences

Playing Tula Harkonnen in “Dune: Prophecy,” set 10,000 years before the events of Villeneuve’s “Dune,” didn’t necessarily require Williams to delve deeply into the mythology of Frank Herbert’s novels.

From Los Angeles Times

My book Women and Other Monsters is about how women and feminized people can look to the monsters of classical mythology, intended as cautionary tales about overstepping our boundaries, as guides for reclaiming the unbecoming traits we’re supposed to suppress.

From Slate

From Huck Finn to Indiana Jones, American mythology tends to write its heroes as variations on the story of David and Goliath—tales of underdogs who secure unlikely triumphs against an overbearing order.

From Slate

It captures the depth of rootedness and cultural ancestry, tradition and mythology,” said Frederick Luis Aldama, a professor at the University of Texas who has written extensively about Latinos in comics.

From Los Angeles Times

In Greek mythology, the Minotaur — with the head of a bull and body of a man — was imprisoned at the center of a labyrinth in Crete and ate anyone who couldn’t find their way out.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• belief
• legend
• lore
• tradition