English
athletic
Athletic comes from Ancient Greek ᾱ̓θλητῐκός ‘of or for an athlete, athletic’, and goes back to ἆθλον.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἆθλονâthlon
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEᾱ̓θλέωāthléō‘to be an athlete, contend for a prize in games’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀθλητήςathlētḗs‘athlete’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEᾱ̓θλητῐκόςāthlētĭkós‘of or for an athlete, athletic’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEāthlēticus
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600athletique
- Englishearliest quotation 2008athletic
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἆθλονâthlon
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEᾱ̓θλέωāthléō‘to be an athlete, contend for a prize in games’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀθλητήςathlētḗs‘athlete’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEᾱ̓θλητῐκόςāthlētĭkós‘of or for an athlete, athletic’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEāthlēticus
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600athletique
- Englishearliest quotation 2008athletic
Earliest quotation: 2008, Bruce Barcott, The Higher They Climb: “An athletic kid from New Jersey, Fischer was known…”
Formed from athlete + -ic
Ancient Greek ἆθλον ‘prize’
Ancient Greek ἀθλέω ‘compete for a prize’
Ancient Greek ἀθλητής ‘a combatant, champion, especially a prizefighter’
Latin āthlēta ‘wrestler, athlete’
Middle English athlete
English athlete
The story
For more, see athlete. The Super Mario sense is effectively a reborrowing of Japanese アスレチック (asurechikku, “obstacle course”), originally borrowed from English athletic; this sense was itself originally a clipping of the genericized wasei eigo trademark フィールドアスレチック (fīrudo asurechikku, “Field Athletic”).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- ‘to blow (of wind)’
event, winter, wind, van, wing, weather, velocity, ventilation, ventilate, 9 more
Today it means
adj Having to do with athletes.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek ἆθλον / athletic