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athlete

ATH-leet · noun

Ancient GreekLatinMiddle FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Origin

Athlete comes from Latin āthlēta, from Ancient Greek ἀθλητής (athlētḗs), meaning one who competes for a prize. That noun traces back to the verb ἀθλέω (athléō, 'compete for a prize'), rooted in ἆθλον (âthlon, 'prize') or ἆθλος (âthlos, 'competition').

Journey

The word passed from Greek into Latin, then into Middle French and Middle English, keeping its core sense of a competitor throughout.

Related words

The facts given don't name any English cognates, so none can be claimed here.

More words

From Middle French

Nearby, A–Z

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