pentathlon

[ pen-tath-luhn, -lon ]

noun
  1. an athletic contest comprising five different track and field events and won by the contestant gaining the highest total score.

Origin of pentathlon

1
1700–10; <Greek pénthāthlon, equivalent to pent- pent- + âthlon contest

Words Nearby pentathlon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pentathlon in a sentence

  • A pentathlon meet was held at Empire for the purpose of developing all-around athletes.

    The Panama Canal | Frederic Jennings Haskin
  • He had the three games out of five and was winner of the pentathlon.

    Buried Cities, Part 2 | Jennie Hall

British Dictionary definitions for pentathlon

pentathlon

/ (pɛnˈtæθlən) /


noun
  1. an athletic contest consisting of five different events, based on a competition in the ancient Greek Olympics: Compare decathlon

Origin of pentathlon

1
C18: from Greek pentathlon, from penta- + athlon contest

Derived forms of pentathlon

  • pentathlete, noun

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