[ath-leet] 
| 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. |
s, equiv. to āthlē- (var. s. of āthleîn to contend for a prize, deriv. of âthlos a contest) + -tēs suffix of agency
[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.] |