You searched for: “thule
A unit related to: “thule
(Modern Latin: from Greek, Thule, the Greek name for land north of Britain or for Scandinavia; rare earth)
Word Entries containing the term: “thule
ultima Thule
1. Figuratively any distant frontier or remote goal.
2. The "end of the world" or to the "final edge" of the earth.

Ancient Greek mariners believed that the northern end of the world was an island called Thule, said to be six days' sailing distance from Britain.

The precise location of Thule is not known today, but ultima Thule, mentioned in Virgil's Georgics, survives as a useful expression for describing any place whose appearance gives one the feeling of standing at the end of the world. Maybe it was one of the Shetland Islands.

It may be of interest to note that the current list of Chemical Elements has an element named for this unknown "end of the world": thulium; symbol, Tm; atomic number, 69; which was discovered by Per Teodor Cleve in 1879.

This entry is located in the following unit: ultim- + (page 1)
ultima Thule
The end of the world.

The end of the world. Ancient Greek mariners believed that the northern end of the world was an island called Thule, said to be six days' sailing distance from Britain. The precise location of Thule is not known today, but ultima Thule, mentioned in Virgil's Georgics, survives as a useful expression for describing any place whose appearance gives one the feeling of standing at the end of the world perhaps one of the Shetland Islands.

Figuratively it refers to any distant frontier or remote goal. It may be of interest to note that the current list of Chemical Elements is named for this unknown "end of the world": thulium; symbol, Tm; atomic number, 69; which was discovered and named by Per Teodor Cleve in 1879.

This entry is located in the following units: Latin Proverbs, Mottoes, Phrases, and Words: Group U (page 1) ultim- + (page 1)