Other forms: athletes
An athlete is a person trained to compete in sport. A professional athlete, an Olympic athlete, athlete's foot.
In British use it often means a track and field competitor specifically, where American use covers any sportsperson. Athlete's foot is a fungal infection named from changing rooms. Note that the Greek athlon means a prize, so an athlete is somebody competing for one.
1nounathleteA person trained to compete in sport.
“The athletes warmed up on the track before the race.”
athlete is a sportsperson.
Also accepted in games: sportsman, sportswoman
Greek athletes comes from athlon, a prize. An athlete was one who competed for a prize.
Proto-Indo-European
*h₂weh₁-
Ancient Greek
ἀθλητής
Middle French
athlete
Latin
āthlēta
Middle English
athlete
English, today
athlete
Built from
From Middle English athlete, from Latin āthlēta (and probably also partly from Middle French athlete), from Ancient Greek ἀθλητής, from ἀθλέω (“compete for a prize”), from ἆθλον (“prize”) or ἆθλος (“competition”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA