Etymologically
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athleticus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [aːtʰˈɫeː.tɪ.kʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [atˈlɛː.ti.kus][1]

Forms

āthlēticus (feminine āthlētica, neuter āthlēticum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀθλητικός (āthlētikós, “athletic”), from ⟨athlētḗs⟩ “athlete”.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Celsus, whom he dates 14–37 AD, and Celsus has victus āthlēticus “an athlete's diet”.[3][4]

Semantic evolution

It meant of or proper to an athlete, and ars āthlētica or āthlētica was athletics, as in Gellius.[2][5] Lewis & Short note it is not in Cicero.[4]

It gave English athletic in the 1630s, “pertaining to an athlete or to contests of strength”.[6]

Timeline

  • 14–37 AD – Celsus uses it.[3][4]
  • c. 165 AD – Gellius uses it.[5][3]
  • 1630s – English athletic is recorded.[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of an athlete, athletic, ars āthlētica, athletics.[2]

Word family

  • athletica

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com