Athletics

How to spell athletics

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce athletics

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does athletics mean?

1. nounCompetitive sports involving running, jumping, and throwing, such as track and field events.
2. nounPhysical sports and exercise in general, especially as organised at a school or college.

Athletics in a sentence

• She trained for years before competing in international athletics.

• The college invests heavily in its athletics programme each year.

• The stadium was built to host athletics during the summer games.

• Students who excel in athletics often receive scholarships.

Where does athletics come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the Greek athletes, meaning 'one who competes for a prize', which in turn came from athlein 'to contend or compete' and athlos 'a contest'. The root noun athlon literally named the prize itself, so the very idea baked into the word is competition for a reward. Latin adopted it as athleta, and English took 'athlete' from that line in the 1500s. The collective form 'athletics' was assembled later by attaching the suffix -ics, the same ending that builds words like mathematics and gymnastics to name a body of activity or study. The spelling preserves the Greek 'th', which is why writers must remember the silent-looking but essential h after the t.

How the word is built

• athlet- (from Greek athletes: a contestant for a prize)
• -ics (noun suffix denoting an activity or field)