English
discus
Discus comes from Latin discus ‘a discus, quoit’, and goes back to Ancient Greek δικεῖν ‘to cast’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδικεῖνdikeîn‘to cast’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδίσκοςdískos‘disk, quoit, platter’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiscus‘a discus, quoit’
- Englishearliest quotation 1893same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδικεῖνdikeîn‘to cast’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδίσκοςdískos‘disk, quoit, platter’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiscus‘a discus, quoit’
- Englishearliest quotation 1893same form
Earliest quotation: 1893, K. M. Ganguli, The Mahabharata: “And Narayana instantly cut off with his discus the…”
Linked words
through Ancient Greek δίσκος ‘disk, quoit, platter’
through Latin discus ‘a discus, quoit’
Today it means
noun A round plate-like object that is thrown for sport.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek δικεῖν / discus