Akropolis

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A fortified high area or citadel in ancient Greek city-states, often serving as a religious center
2. An elevated site within a city, typically featuring significant temples and public buildings, especially in classical Greece
3. A historically important elevated structure within an ancient city, often housing sacred sites and significant architecture

Etymology: The Athenian Acropolis is the famous example, but the word itself is built from two plain Greek parts: "akros", meaning "highest" or "topmost" (also the root of words like "acrobat" and "acrophobia"), and "polis", meaning "city". Put together, it describes the high point of a city, the place where a settlement's defences and its most important shrines were gathered together above the streets. The construction is transparent in a way many classical words are not. Greek cities were often built around a rocky hill that could be fortified, and the upper citadel became the natural home for temples and treasuries. The Athenian example, crowned by the Parthenon, is so well known that it came to stand for the whole category, and "acropolis" was eventually applied to similar elevated citadels in other ancient cities.

Synonyms: acropolis, citadel, fortress, stronghold