the acropolis

a·crop·o·lis

[uh-krop-uh-lis]
noun
1.
the citadel or high fortified area of an ancient Greek city.
2.
the Acropolis, the citadel of Athens and the site of the Parthenon.

Origin:
1655–65; < Greek akrópolis. See acro-, -polis

ac·ro·pol·i·tan [ak-ruh-pol-i-tn] , adjective
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World English Dictionary
acropolis (əˈkrɒpəlɪs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
the citadel of an ancient Greek city
 
[C17: from Greek, from acro- + polis city]

00:10
The acropolis is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
Acropolis (əˈkrɒpəlɪs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
the citadel of Athens on which the Parthenon and the Erechtheum stand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

acropolis
1660s, from Gk. akropolis "citadel" (especially that of Athens), from akros "highest, upper" (see acrid) + polis "city" (see policy (1)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
Acropolis [(uh-krop-uh-lis)]

The fortified high point of ancient Athens. Once the center of Athenian life, the Acropolis is now the site of famous ruins, including the Parthenon. In Greek, the word means “high” (acro) “city” (polis).

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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