Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tetrathlon” come from?

tetrathlon (English) comes from English tetra, from Translingual Tetragonopterus, from Ancient Greek πτερόν, from Proto-Indo-European péth₂r̥, from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- — to spread out; to fly.

tetrathlon (English): A contest with four successive events, usually...

Definitions

  1. A contest with four successive events, usually...

Ancestry of “tetrathlon”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtetraAny of numerous species of small South American...
2TranslingualTetragonopterus—
3Ancient Greekπτερόνfeather; wing; Any winged creature
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpéth₂r̥wing; feather
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpeth₂-to spread out; to fly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- →