English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀκρόπολις (akrópolis), from ἄκρος (ákros, topmost”, “tip”, “summit) + πόλις (pólis, city);[1] By surface analysis, acro- +‎ -polis.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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acropolis (plural acropolises or acropoleis)

  1. A promontory (usually fortified with a citadel) forming the hub of many Grecian cities, and around which many were built for defensive purposes before and during the classical period; compare Acropolis.
    • 1850, Karl Otfried Müller, John Leitch, transl., Ancient Art and Its Remains; or, A Manual of the Archæology of Art[1], page 146:
      The Etruscans, then, appear in general as an industrious people ( φιλότεχνον ἔθνος), of a bold and lofty spirit of enterprise, which was greatly favoured by their priestly aristocratic constitution. Massive walls, mostly of irregular blocks, surround their cities (not merely their acropoleis); the art of protecting the country from inundations by the construction of canals, and outlets from lakes, was very zealously practised by them.
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Translations

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Acropolis” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary, second edition (1989)

Anagrams

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