Meanings
- Greekhuman sciencesA huntress and heroine in Greek mythology, renowned for her great speed and strength; depending on the version of the myth, either the daughter of Iasus (a prince of Arcadia) by Clymene or of King Schoeneus of Boeotia.
Abandoned at birth by her parents, Iasus and Clymene, Atalanta was raised by bears and later rescued by a hunter who taught her the ways of mortals. When Atalanta found fame as a runner and marksman, her parents reclaimed her.
2001, Suzanne I. Barchers, From Atalanta to Zeus, Greenwood Publishing Group (Teacher Ideas Press), page 171 more example
It is the Arcadian Atalanta, the daughter of Iasus and Clymene, who is primarily known from the tales of the Calydonian boar hunt and the Argonauts. The Boeotian version of Atalanta is the daughter of King Schoeneus and is primarily noted for her skill in the footrace. In both versions of the myth, Atalanta was a local figure allied to the goddess Artemis.^([Wikipedia])
- astronomyThe main belt asteroid 36 Atalante.
Origin
- Ancient GreekἈταλάντη“balanced”
- LatinAtalanta
- EnglishAtalanta
Learned borrowing from Latin Atalanta, from Ancient Greek Ἀταλάντη (Atalántē, “balanced”), from ἀ- (a-, “used to express unity”) + τάλαντον (tálanton, “balanced”).
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian Атала́нта
- Атала́нта (Atalánta)mythical heroine
French Atalante, Atalante
- Atalantemythical heroine
- AtalanteAsteroid
Italian Atalanta
- Atalantamythical heroine
Latin Atalanta
- Atalantamythical heroine
Russian Атала́нта
- Атала́нта (Atalánta)mythical heroine
Cite this entry
Atalanta. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Atalanta
“Atalanta.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Atalanta. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Atalanta,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Atalanta.
Source: Atalanta on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.