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; < Latināthlēta < Greekāthlētḗs, equivalent to āthlē- (variant stem of āthleîn to contend for a prize, derivative of âthlos a contest) + -tēs suffix of agency
Related forms
non·ath·lete, noun
su·per·ath·lete, noun
Pronunciation note Athlete,athletic, and athletics, normally pronounced /ˈæθlit/Show Spelled[ath-leet]Show IPA/æθˈlɛtɪk/[ath-let-ik] and /æθˈlɛtɪks/[ath-let-iks] are heard frequently with an epenthetic schwa, an intrusive unstressed vowel inserted between the first and second syllables: /ˈæθəˌlit/[ath-uh-leet]/ˌæθəˈlɛtɪk/[ath-uh-let-ik] and /ˌæθəˈlɛtɪks/[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 /ˈfɪləm/[fil-uhm] for film,/ˈɛləm/[el-uhm] for elm, and /ˌɑrθəˈraɪtɪs/[ahr-thuh-rahy-tis] for arthritis, rather than the standard /fɪlm/[film]/ɛlm/[elm] and /ɑrˈθraɪtɪs/[ahr-thrahy-tis].
1520s, 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," of unknown origin. Before 1750, always in L. form. In this sense, O.E. had plegmann. Athlete's foot first recorded 1928, for an ailment