Origin of the word athletics
Every four years there is a climax for the athletes. There will be running, jumping and throwing for Olympic medals again. But where does the word athletics actually come from? The origin of the word goes back - not entirely inappropriate - to ancient Greek.
Athletics - the origin of the word
- The word athletics consists of the noun "athletics" and the adjective "easy". Athletics comes from ancient Greek. From the country that is the motherland of the Olympic Games.
- The ancient Greek origin of the word athletics means something like "competition". The word light makes the competition easy. However, this is not to be taken to mean that athletics is easy.
- The word addition “light” specifies the activity carried out much more precisely. Because in athletics, the movements of athletes are based on natural movements of the body - for example when running, throwing or jumping.
- The thrown objects, such as a spear or a discus, are usually relatively light. The origin of the word athletics as a whole is therefore figuratively descriptive. Just like with the sports Soccer or handball. Again, the word shows how the sport works.
From athletics to heavy athletics
- Athletics is opposed to heavy athletics. The origin of the word heavy athletics is to be analyzed analogously. Accordingly, heavy athletics refers to those competitions that are not based on natural body movements. This includes wrestling or weightlifting, for example.
Origin of the word dream - a simple explanation
The word dream has a relatively heavy meaning. It can be the normal dream at night ...
- In heavy athletics, the focus is on the individual strength of the athlete, whereas athletics aims at skill and fitness. However, the term heavy athletics is considered out of date and is therefore hardly used any more.
- In the past, athletics was also known as "folk gymnastics". But with the professionalization of athletics, the term lost all meaning.
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