athlete
nounUK /ˈæθ.liːt/ · CA, US /ˈæθ.lit/
Etymology From Middle English athlete, from Latin āthlēta (and probably also partly from Middle French athlete), from Ancient Greek ἀθλητής (athlētḗs), from ἀθλέω (athléō, “compete for a prize”), from ἆθλον (âthlon, “prize”) or ἆθλος (âthlos, “competition”).
1
A participant in any of a group of sporting activities including track and field, road running, cross country running and racewalking.
2
Canada, US A person who actively participates in physical sports, especially with great skill; a sportsperson.
- She's the first athlete in her sport to obtain a corporate sponsor.
- Athletes' use of herbal supplements has skyrocketed in the past two decades. At the top of the list of popular herbs are echinacea and ginseng, whereas garlic, St. John's wort, soybean, ephedra and others are also surging in popularity or have been historically prevalent.2013 March 23, David S. Senchina, “Athletics and Herbal Supplements”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 2, archived from the original on 16 May 2013, page 134:
3
An exceptionally physically fit person.
- Synonyms
- sportsperson, competitor, jock, pro, sportsman, sportswoman
- Antonyms
- nonathlete
- Derived terms
- athletehood, athlete's foot, athleticism, athletocracy, biathlete, cyberathlete, decathlete, e-athlete, ethlete, heptathlete, mathlete, neutral Paralympic athlete, nonathlete, para-athlete, parathlete, Spanish athlete, student-athlete, student athlete, superathlete, triathlete, world's greatest athlete
- Hypernyms
- person