Etymologically
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champion

Etymology and origin of the English word champion

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1200
Borrowed from
Old French champion via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Latin (campus)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtʃæm.pi.ən/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English champiun, champioun,[2][3] borrowed from Old French champion (“combatant, champion in single combat”), 12th century,[4][2] from Medieval Latin campiō (“gladiator, fighter, combatant in the field”) (accusative campiōnem),[4][2][5] from Latin campus (“field, place of combat”).[4][2][6] Merriam-Webster takes the Medieval Latin word as of West Germanic origin, akin to Old English cempa “warrior”;[3] Etymonline says Old English had borrowed the Latin word earlier as cempa.[4] It is related to camp, campus and campaign.[2][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A fighting man, a combatant: probably before 1200 in the Ancrene Riwle according to Barnhart,[2] before 1225 in the OED[7] and the early 13th century in Etymonline.[4]

Semantic evolution

“One who fights on behalf of another, or of a cause” is from about 1300,[4] 1292 in the OED,[7] including the knight who fought in trial by battle for another.[7] Originally both the challenger and the defending fighter were champions.[6] The sporting sense, the person who holds first place after a public contest, is from 1730,[4][2][7] and the prize-winning animal or plant from 1717.[7] The verb first meant “to challenge”, in Shakespeare's Macbeth (1605);[2][7] “to fight for, defend” is from 1820, in Scott,[4][7] and the figurative “to advocate, support” from 1830 or 1844.[4][2][7] Championship is from 1825.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1200 – a fighting man.[2][4]
  • 1292 – one who fights for another.[7]
  • 1605 – verb, to challenge.[2][7]
  • 1717 – a prize-winning animal.[7]
  • 1730 – a sporting champion.[4][2]
  • 1820 – verb, to defend.[4][7]
  • 1825 – championship.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person, team or animal that wins first place in a competition.
  2. One who is clearly superior, with the qualities of a winner.
  3. An ardent defender or supporter of a cause or person.
  4. (archaic) A fighter; a warrior, especially one who fought for another.

Verb

  1. To fight for, defend or support: championed the rights of tenants.
  2. (archaic) To defy or challenge.

Adjective

  1. Holding first place: a champion swimmer.

Word family

  • championless
  • championlike
  • nonchampion

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Champion.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/champion. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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