What is a synonym for atlas?

A synonym for atlas depends on which meaning of atlas you intend, as the word has several meanings in English. For the most common meaning of atlas as a collection of maps in book form, synonyms include map collection, map book, chart book, gazetteer when it includes place names, cartographic collection, world atlas, road atlas, and in older usage cosmography. In publishing, an atlas is sometimes called a portfolio of maps. For the anatomical meaning of atlas as the first cervical vertebra that holds up the skull, synonyms include C1 vertebra, first cervical vertebra, and atlas vertebra, with no true common synonym outside medical terminology. For the mythological meaning of Atlas as a Titan who holds up the sky, synonyms are more descriptive such as Titan, bearer of heavens, and in figurative language a person who carries a heavy burden might be called a pillar, support, or strongman. In architecture, an atlas or atlantid is a sculpted male figure used as a column supporting an entablature, similar to a caryatid, so synonyms include telamon, atlant, and male caryatid. In informal language, if you mean atlas as a book of knowledge, synonyms could be compendium, encyclopedia, or reference book. So the best synonym for a map atlas is map book or chart collection, while for the vertebra it is C1, and for the mythological figure it is Titan.