/ mɪθ; NAmE / noun [ C , U ]
1.
a story from ancient times, especially one that was told to explain natural events or to describe the early history of a people; this type of story
SYN legend :
ancient Greek myths
a creation myth (= that explains how the world began)
the heroes of myth and legend
2.
something that many people believe but that does not exist or is false
SYN fallacy :
It is time to dispel the myth of a classless society (= to show that it does not exist) .
Contrary to popular myth , women are not worse drivers than men.
—see also urban myth
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 19th cent.: from modern Latin mythus , via late Latin from Greek muthos .