Dictionary

myth en · NOUN

Pronunciation

(US) audio
/mɪθ/
/mɪt̪(ʰ)/ (South-Asia)
/majt̪(ʰ)/ (South-Asia) spelling pronunciation
mĭth

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μῦθος (mûthos, “word, humour, companion, speech, account, rumour, fable”). Attested in English since 1830. Doublet of mythos.

Meanings

A traditional story which embodies a belief regarding some fact or phenomenon of experience, and in which often the forces of nature and of the soul are personified; a sacred narrative regarding a god, a hero, the origin of the world or of a people, etc.
- Jacobsen's theory about the empty storehouse is still valid, for a myth never has one meaning only; a myth is a polyphonic fugue of many voices. 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 175:
(uncountable) Such stories as a genre.
- Myth was the product of man's emotion and imagination, acted upon by his surroundings. (E. Clodd, Myths & Dreams (1885), 7, cited after OED)
A commonly-held but false belief, a common misconception; a fictitious or imaginary person or thing; a popular conception about a real person or event which exaggerates or idealizes reality.
- Okay, okay, okay… First, of course, babies feel pain. How the fuck did we ever think otherwise⁉ But more importantly, the fact that painkillers are addictive was not a myth. It’s like a book of Greek mythology featuring the stories of Zeus, Sisyphus, Oedipus and Yanni. Come on! That last one is very real and it cannot be dismissed. 2016, Tim Carvell [et al.], “Opiods”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 3, episode 27, John Oliver (actor), Warner Bros. Television, via HBO:
- Scientists debunk the myth that gum stays in the human stomach for seven years.
A person or thing held in excessive or quasi-religious awe or admiration based on popular legend
- Father Flanagan was legendary, his institution an American myth. (Tucson (Arizona) Citizen, 20 September 1979, 5A/3, cited after OED)
A person or thing existing only in imagination, or whose actual existence is not verifiable.
- As for Mrs. Primmins's bones, they had been myths these twenty years. 1849, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, The Caxtons:
- Living beyond the Omega-4 mass relay in the Terminus Systems, the mysterious Collector species is glimpsed so rarely as to be taken for a myth by most in galactic society. In reality, Collectors are human-sized insectoid bipeds and can resemble massive winged beetles. They are a terrifying force in the galaxy, responsible for the murder of hundreds of thousands. 2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Collectors Codex entry:
An invented story, theory, or concept.
- His story is a pure myth.

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
myths	Number=Plur		lexicographic
mythe		alternative	lexicographic

Translations (172)

da myte (divine story) · mn домог (divine story) · fi myytti (commonly-held but false belief) · fa-ira خُرافات (commonly-held but false belief) · ru миф (divine story) · ka თქმულება (divine story) · ja 神話 (divine story) · ar أُسْطُورَة (divine story) · az mif (divine story) · fo gudasøgn (divine story) · ota اسطوره (divine story) · alt миф (divine story) · bn শ্রুতি (divine story) · tg устура (divine story) · kk аңыз (divine story) · cy myth (divine story) · fa-ira اَفْسانِه (divine story) · it mito (divine story) · ms mitos (divine story) · ar خُرَافَة (commonly-held but false belief) · fo myta (divine story) · az əfsanə (divine story) · fi myytti (divine story) · yue 神話 /神话 (divine story) · bg изми́слица (person or thing existing only in imagination) · ro legendă (divine story) · ru пове́рье (commonly-held but false belief) · nan-hbl 神話 /神话 (divine story) · cu мѷѳъ (divine story) · af mite (divine story) · fi jumalaistarusto (such stories as genre) · pl mit (commonly-held but false belief) · kk миф (divine story) · pl mit (divine story) · cy chwedl (divine story) · he מִיתוֹס (divine story) · eo mito (commonly-held but false belief) · sh mȋt (commonly-held but false belief) · sv myt (commonly-held but false belief) · bg мит (divine story) · ur خُرافات (commonly-held but false belief) · tk rowaýat (divine story) · es mito (divine story) · my ဒဏ္ဍာရီ (divine story) · fo mýta (divine story) · cmn 神話 /神话 (divine story) · ru мифоло́гия (such stories as genre) · kmr efsane (divine story) · nl mythe (divine story) · et müüt (divine story) · de Mythos (divine story) · hy առասպել (divine story) · lo ນິທານ (divine story) · eu mito (divine story) · fa-ira رِوایَت (divine story) · az اوسطوره (divine story) · pt mito (commonly-held but false belief) · cs mýtus (divine story) · lt mitas (commonly-held but false belief) · sl mit (divine story) · cmn 迷思 (commonly-held but false belief) · tr mit (divine story) · mk мит (divine story) · ru леге́нда (commonly-held but false belief) · dng шынхуа (divine story) · uk міф (divine story) · wuu 神話 /神话 (divine story) · ka ლეგენდა (divine story) · cdo 神話 /神话 (divine story) · ps اسطوره (divine story) · sh mȋt (divine story) · nb myte (commonly-held but false belief) · th ตำนาน (divine story) · he מִיתוֹס (commonly-held but false belief) · pt mito (divine story) · ga miotas (divine story) · nn myte (divine story) · gl mito (divine story) · tr tansık (divine story) · myv пазъёвкс (divine story) · sq mit (divine story) · io mito (divine story) · lt mitas (divine story) · az اساطیر (divine story) · hu mítosz (divine story) · gl mito (person or thing held in excessive awe or admiration) · az əsatir (divine story) · tr efsane (divine story) · fi jumalaistaru (divine story) · id mitos (divine story) · ug رىۋايەت (divine story) · lo ຕຳນານ (divine story) · tk mif (divine story) · sh ми̑т (divine story) · tg афсона (divine story) · hu rege (divine story) · sv myt (divine story) · ota اساطیر (divine story) · uk пові́р'я (commonly-held but false belief) · is skröksaga (commonly-held but false belief) · de Sage (divine story) · nb myte (divine story) · nl mythe (commonly-held but false belief) · gl mito (such stories as genre) · hu mítosz (commonly-held but false belief) · te పురాణము (divine story) · hy միֆ (commonly-held but false belief) · la fabula (commonly-held but false belief) · lv mīts (divine story) · mi pūrākau (divine story) · ur داسْتان (divine story) · th นิทาน (divine story) · is uppspuni (divine story) · fi myytti (person or thing existing only in imagination) · ky миф (divine story) · ps افسانه (divine story) · ur اَفْسانَہ (divine story) · de Mythos (commonly-held but false belief) · nn myte (commonly-held but false belief) · eo mito (divine story) · hu hitrege (divine story) · fi uskomus (commonly-held but false belief) · km ទេវកថា (divine story) · sh ми̑т (commonly-held but false belief) · fi myytti (person or thing held in excessive awe or admiration) · ca mites (divine story) · bg митоло́гия (such stories as genre) · ru миф (commonly-held but false belief) · ta தொன்மம் (divine story) · ko 신화 (divine story) · el μύθος (divine story) · vi thần thoại (divine story) · uz afsona (divine story) · st tshomo (divine story) · hy միֆ (divine story) · yi מיטאָס (divine story) · uz mif (divine story) · it mito (commonly-held but false belief) · ota داستان (divine story) · is saga (divine story) · hak 神話 /神话 (divine story) · sk mýtus (divine story) · af mite (commonly-held but false belief) · be міф (divine story) · gl mito (person or thing existing only in imagination) · uk леге́нда (commonly-held but false belief) · la mythos (commonly-held but false belief) · fa-ira اُسْطورِه (divine story) · el μύθος (commonly-held but false belief) · fo frumsøgn (divine story) · ro mit (divine story) · ka მითი (commonly-held but false belief) · ky уламыш (divine story) · grc μῦθος (divine story) · ca mite (divine story) · kmr mît (divine story) · ug ئەپسانە (divine story) · la mȳthos (divine story) · tg ривоят (divine story) · gl mito (commonly-held but false belief) · fr mythe (divine story) · tr söylence (divine story) · lv mīts (commonly-held but false belief) · csm ˀútne- (divine story) · ur اُسْطُورَہ (divine story) · gd fionnsgeul (divine story) · hi मिथक (divine story) · uk міф (commonly-held but false belief) · be міт (divine story) · ja 迷信 (commonly-held but false belief) · uk міт (divine story) · ka მითი (divine story)

myth en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

Meanings

Forms

Antonyms

Deriveds

Hyponyms

Relateds

Synonyms

Translations (172)