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7 dictionary results for: Marathon

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

mar·a·thon

[mar-uh-thon, -thuh

n] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	a foot race over a course measuring 26 mi. 385 yd. (42 km 195 m).

2.	any long-distance race.

3.	any contest, event, or the like, of great, or greater than normal, length or duration or requiring exceptional endurance: a dance marathon; a sales marathon.

[Origin: 1895–1900; allusion to Pheidippides' 26-mi. (42-km) run from Marathon to Athens to carry news of the Greek victory over the Persians in 490 b.c.

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Mar·a·thon

[mar-uh-thon] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	a plain in SE Greece, in Attica: the Athenians defeated the Persians here 490 b.c.

2.	an ancient village that is near this plain.

3.	Classical Mythology. a son of Epopeus and the father of Corinthus.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

mar·a·thon (mār'ə-thŏn') Pronunciation Key
n.

Sports
1. A cross-country footrace of 26 miles, 385 yards (42.195 kilometers).
2. A long-distance race other than a footrace: a swimming marathon.
3. A contest of endurance: a dance marathon.
4. An event or activity that requires prolonged effort or endurance.
1. A contest of endurance: a dance marathon.
2. An event or activity that requires prolonged effort or endurance.

[After Marathon (so called because a messenger ran from there to Athens to announce a victory over the Persians in 490 B.C.)]

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Mar·a·thon (mār'ə-thŏn') Pronunciation Key
A village and plain of ancient Greece northeast of Athens. It was the site of a major victory over the Persians in 490 B.C.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
marathon

1896, marathon race, from story of Gk. hero Pheidippides, who ran the 26 miles and 385 yards to Athens from the Plains of Marathon to tell of the allied Greek victory there over Persian army, 490 B.C.E. The original story (Herodotus) is that he ran from Athens to Sparta to seek aid, which arrived too late to participate in the battle. Introduced as an athletic event in the 1896 revival of the Olympic Games, based on a later, less likely story, and quickly extended to mean "any very long event or activity."

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

marathon
noun
1.	any long and arduous undertaking
2.	a footrace of 26 miles 385 yards
3.	a battle in 490 BC in which the Athenians and their allies defeated the Persians

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U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

Marathon City, WI (village, FIPS 49100) Location: 44.93250 N, 89.84175 W
Population (1990): 1606 (604 housing units)
Area: 4.5 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)

Marathon County, WI (county, FIPS 73) Location: 44.89793 N, 89.75778 W
Population (1990): 115400 (43774 housing units)
Area: 4001.7 sq km (land), 80.7 sq km (water)

Marathon, FL (CDP, FIPS 43000) Location: 24.71190 N, 81.08079 W
Population (1990): 8857 (5208 housing units)
Area: 13.5 sq km (land), 4.1 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 33050

Marathon, IA (city, FIPS 49260) Location: 42.86104 N, 94.98293 W
Population (1990): 320 (183 housing units)
Area: 1.9 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 50565

Marathon, NY (village, FIPS 45392) Location: 42.44282 N, 76.03507 W
Population (1990): 1107 (418 housing units)
Area: 2.6 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 13803

Marathon, TX Zip code(s): 79842

Marathon, WI Zip code(s): 54448

U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau

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