Where does “gymnastics” come from?
Gymnastics derives from Ancient Greek γυμνασία, from γυμνός meaning naked, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- meaning to be naked or bare.
gymnastics (English): A sport involving the performance of sequences of...
Definitions
- A sport involving the performance of sequences of...
Ancestry of “gymnastics”, step by step
gymnastics traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English gymnastic
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gymnastic | Pertaining to gymnastics; Pertaining to the... |
| 2 | Latin | gymnasticus | gymnastic |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | γυμναστικός | fond of and/or skilled in athletic exercises |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | γυμναστής | trainer of professional athletes; athlete,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -τής | Appended to verbs to form agent nouns |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | πεῖρα | trial, experiment, attempt |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via Ancient Greek γυμνασία
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | γυμνασία | exercise |