Where does “athletic” come from?
Athletic comes from Latin athleticus, from Ancient Greek ἀθλητικός, derived from the adjective form of ἀθλητής (athlete), from ἀθλέω (to compete), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂weh₁-.
athletic (English): Having to do with athletes; Physically active;...
Definitions
- Having to do with athletes; Physically active;...
Ancestry of “athletic”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | athlétique | athletic |
| 2 | Middle French | athletique | athletic |
| 3 | Latin | āthlēticus | athletic |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἀθλητικός | of or for an athlete, athletic |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἀθλητής | a combatant, champion, especially a prizefighter;... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἀθλέω | to contend for a prize, combat, wrestle; to be an... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -έω | Used to form verbs from nouns, adjectives and... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -éyeti | Forms causative imperfective verbs from roots;... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yeti | Creates transitive imperfective verbs from roots |