Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “decathlon” come from?

decathlon (English) comes from English -athlon, from Ancient Greek ἆθλον, from Proto-Indo-European h₂weh₁- — to blow.

decathlon (English): An athletic contest consisting of ten events...

Definitions

  1. An athletic contest consisting of ten events...

Ancestry of “decathlon”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-athlonContest
2Ancient Greekἆθλονprize of a contest; contest; place of combat,...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂weh₁-to blow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂weh₁- →