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athlete - 4 dictionary results

ath⋅lete

[ath-leet]
–noun
a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

Origin:
1520–30; < L āthlēta < Gk āthlēts, equiv. to āthlē- (var. s. of āthleîn to contend for a prize, deriv. of âthlos a contest) + -tēs suffix of agency


Athlete, athletic, and athletics, normally pronounced[ath-leet] , [ath-let-ik], and[ath-let-iks], are heard frequently with an epenthetic schwa, an intrusive unstressed vowel inserted between the first and second syllables:[ath-uh-leet], [ath-uh-let-ik], and[ath-uh-let-iks]. The pronunciations containing the extra syllable are usually considered nonstandard, in spite of their widespread use on radio and television. Pronunciations with similarly intrusive vowels are also heard, though with less currency, for other words, as[fil-uhm] for film, [el-uhm] for elm, and[ahr-thuh-rahy-tis] for arthritis, rather than the standard[film], [elm], and[ahr-thrahy-tis].
ath·lete   (āth'lēt')   
n.  A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts.

[Middle English, from Latin āthlēta, from Greek āthlētēs, contestant, from āthlein, to contend, possibly from āthlos, contest.]

Athlete

Ath"lete\, n. [L. athleta, Gr. ? prizefighter, fr. ? to contend for a prize, ?, Hom. ?, contest, ? prize; fr. the same root as E. wed: cf. F. athl[`e]te.]

1. (Antiq.) One who contended for a prize in the public games of ancient Greece or Rome.

2. Any one trained to contend in exercises requiring great physical agility and strength; one who has great activity and strength; a champion.

3. One fitted for, or skilled in, intellectual contests; as, athletes of debate.
Language Translation for : athlete
Spanish: atleta,
German: der, *die Athlet(in),
Japanese: 運動選手

athlete 
1528, from L. athleta, from Gk. athletes "contestant in the games," agent noun from athlein "to contest for a prize," rel. to athlos "a contest" and athlon "a prize." Before 1750, always in L. form. Replaced O.E. plegmann. First record of athletics is from 1727. Athlete's foot first recorded 1928, for an ailment that has been around much longer.
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