Atlantes
/ætˈlæn.tiːz/noun
Plural of atlas; in architecture, male figures used as columns or supports.
Did you know?In architecture, an atlante is a male support figure named after Atlas, the Titan forced in myth to bear the heavens, so the word literally carries the image of cosmic burden.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ἄτλας (Átlas)
“Atlas, the Titan associated with bearing the heavens”
Classical Latin
Latin
Atlas, Atlant-
“Atlas; by extension, related to the Titan Atlas”
Renaissance Italian
Italian
atlante
“A supporting male figure in sculpture or architecture”
16th Century
French
atlante
“A male caryatid; an architectural support shaped like a man”
Modern English
English
atlantes
“Plural of atlas; male architectural supports”