Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pentathlon” come from?

pentathlon (English) comes from Ancient Greek πένταθλον, from Ancient Greek πεντα-, from Ancient Greek πέντε, from Proto-Hellenic pénkʷe, from Proto-Indo-European pénkʷe — five.

pentathlon (English): An ancient athletics discipline, featuring five...

Definitions

  1. An ancient athletics discipline, featuring five...

Ancestry of “pentathlon”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekπένταθλον—
2Ancient Greekπεντα-penta-, five; five
3Ancient Greekπέντεfive
4Proto-Hellenicpénkʷefive
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpénkʷefive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pénkʷe →