apollo

IPA/əˈpɒl.əʊ/
KK[əpˈɑlo]IPA/əˈpɑː.loʊ/

apollo — noun

1. a major figure in the old stories of ancient Greece and Rome — a young, handsome

1.noun
Definition

a major figure in the old stories of ancient Greece and Rome — a young, handsome god whose powers cover the sun, music, poetry, healing, and the foretelling of future events.

Example

At the temple in Delphi, priests once asked Apollo for advice about the future.

proper noun referring to the Greek god

Greek poets often called on Apollo before reciting their songs at festivals.

Apollo as patron of music and poetry

Common collocations
  • temple of Apollo
  • Apollo and the Muses
  • statue of Apollo

Usage Note

Always capitalised and used without an article, since Apollo is a personal name. Often appears in fixed phrases like 'temple of Apollo' or 'Apollo and the Muses'.

Common Mistakes

The apollo was a Greek god.
Apollo was a Greek god.
proper names are capitalised and take no article.

2. the name given by NASA to the United States space project of the 1960s and early

2.noun
Definition

the name given by NASA to the United States space project of the 1960s and early 1970s that sent astronauts to the Moon, with each mission numbered (Apollo 11, Apollo 13, and so on).

Example

In July 1969, Apollo 11 carried Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the Moon.

Apollo + mission number

Engineers at NASA still study the Apollo missions to learn about deep-space travel.

attributive use: Apollo missions

Common collocations
  • Apollo 11
  • the Apollo program
  • Apollo missions
  • Apollo spacecraft

Grammar Patterns

Apollo + number (Apollo 11)

Usage Note

Used attributively before nouns like 'mission', 'program', 'spacecraft', or directly with a number. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense almost always appears with 'the' or with a number, while the god sense never does.

Common Mistakes

He worked on apollo program.
He worked on the Apollo program.
capitalise and use 'the' before 'program'.

Word family

  • Apollonian
    adjective

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • temple of Apollo
  • the Apollo program
  • Apollo 11

Prepositions

  • of Apollo
  • to Apollo

Etymology

Ancient GreekLatinEnglish

From Latin Apollō, taken from Ancient Greek Apóllōn, the name of the Olympian god of light, music, and prophecy. The exact origin of the Greek name is debated, with possible roots meaning 'destroyer' or 'assembly'. The space-program sense was chosen by NASA in 1960, naming the lunar missions after the god to evoke the imagery of a chariot crossing the sky.