myth
A traditional story which embodies a belief regarding some fact or phenomenon of experience, and in which often the forces of nature and of the soul are personified; a sacred narrative regarding a god, a hero, the origin of the world or of a people, etc.
Other meanings
Such stories as a genre.
A commonly-held but false belief, a common misconception; a fictitious or imaginary person or thing; a popular conception about a real person or event which exaggerates or idealizes reality.
Related words
- edumyth
- mythpunk
- demyth
- mythbust
- mythbuster
- mythconception
- mytheme
- mythic
- mythical
- mythicism
- mythicize
- mythification
Word history
From Ancient Greek "μῦθος" (word, humour, companion, speech, account, rumour, fable).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “myth” on Wiktionary, by its contributors, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.