olympus

olympus — noun

1. a mountain in northern Greece that rises higher than any other in the country. I

1.nounB2
Definition

a mountain in northern Greece that rises higher than any other in the country. In ancient Greek stories, it was believed to be the place where the twelve major gods, led by Zeus, lived together.

Example

Visitors to Greece often hike Mount Olympus to watch the sunrise from its highest peak.

collocation: Mount Olympus

The ancient Greeks believed that the gods on Olympus decided the fate of human wars and journeys.

proper noun capitalisation: Olympus

Common collocations
  • Mount Olympus
  • the gods of Olympus
  • the peak of Olympus
  • climb Mount Olympus

Usage Note

In modern English, the mountain is almost always referred to as 'Mount Olympus' rather than 'Olympus' alone. The adjective 'Olympian' describes something related to the mountain or the gods who lived there, while 'Olympic' refers to the Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia — a different location in Greece.

Common Mistakes

Olympic gods
Olympian gods
the games are Olympic; the gods of Mount Olympus are Olympian.
Mount Olympus is in Athens
Mount Olympus is in northern Greece, in the region of Thessaly
Olympus is far from Athens, about 260 km north.
Mount Olympos
Mount Olympus
the spelling 'Olympos' follows the Greek original but is not standard in English.

Word family

  • Olympian
    adjectiveB2
  • Olympian
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Olympus (or more commonly Mount Olympus) is the specific name of Greece's highest mountain, the mythological home of the twelve Olympian gods. As a proper noun, it refers to exactly one place. The related term Olympia is a different location — a plain in the Peloponnese where the ancient Olympic Games were held. Learners sometimes confuse the two because of the similar spelling. To remember: Olympus is the mountain of the gods in the north; Olympia is the site of the games in the south. In writing, always capitalise both words when using 'Mount Olympus', and never shorten it to 'Olympus' alone in formal contexts unless you are writing poetry or mythology commentary.

Olympus ↗Mount OlympusOlympia

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Mount Olympus
  • peak of Olympus
  • summit of Olympus
  • gods of Olympus

Phrases

  • home of the gods on Olympus

Prepositions

  • on Olympus
  • from Olympus

Etymology

Pre-Greek substrateAncient GreekEnglish

The name Olympus comes from the ancient Greek word Ὄλυμπος (Olympos), first recorded in the works of Homer around the 8th century BC. Linguists believe the word may have come from an even older language spoken in the region before Greek arrived, since its form does not fit typical Greek word-building patterns. The mountain gave its name to the Olympian gods, who were said to live on its peak, and later to the Olympic Games — though the games were actually held in Olympia, a separate place named from the same root.