Athens of the North

proper noun

Nickname for Edinburgh: the capital of Scotland.

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Meanings

proper nounthe Athens of the North
  1. informalNickname for Edinburgh: the capital of Scotland.

    Edinburgh, the Athens of the North, boasts more than one Acropolis.

    1998, Michael Wills, Elspeth Wills, Walks in Edinburgh's New Town, →ISBN, page 147
    3 more examples

    We perceive that a French company of theatrical performers have commenced acting in the Athens of the north with great success.

    1828 September 6, “French Theatricals”, in Leeds Mercury, volume 61, number 3293, page 4

    Edinburgh is indeed Castle Perilous, an embodiment of pagan myth and magic which protrudes determinedly into the landscape of serene beauty on which they built the Athens of the North.

    1991, Charles McKean, Edinburgh: Portrait of a City, →ISBN, page 2

    Once prim, Edinburgh city centre is a haven for brothels, lap-dancing clubs and strip bars. The Athens of the North has become the Amsterdam of the North.

    2003 August 3, Stephen Khan, “Athens of the North? Nowadays it's more like Amsterdam”, in The Guardian
Cite this entry
APA

Athens of the North. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Athens%20of%20the%20North

MLA

“Athens of the North.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Athens%20of%20the%20North. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Athens of the North,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Athens%20of%20the%20North.

Source: Athens of the North on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.