marathon
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marathon¹
- /ˈmæɹəθən/ UK
- /ˈmæɹəˌθɑn/ Canada, US
- /ˈmɛɹəˌθɑn/ Canada, US
- /ˈmæɹə(ˌ)θɔn/ Australia
- /ˈmɛɹə(ˌ)θɔn/ New Zealand
Where it comes from
From French marathon, coined in 1894 by linguist Michel Bréal for the first modern time Olympic Games after Ancient Greek Μαραθών (Marathṓn), a town northeast of Athens. Phidippides the Greek ran the distance from Marathon to Athens to deliver a message regarding the Battle of Marathon. The modern sport of marathon running is based on a run approximately the same distance. The toponym itself comes from μάραθον (márathon, “fennel”) and refers to the prevalence of the plant in the area.
noun marathons
- A 42.195-kilometre (26-mile-385-yard) road race.
- Any extended or sustained activity. He had a cleaning marathon the night before his girlfriend came over.
verb marathons · marathoning · marathoned
- To run a marathon. In less than two years, they and their family and friends have skydived, marathoned, tray-baked and dinner-danced their way to £130,000 for Duchenne research through their help4harry campaign.
- To watch or read a large number of instalments of (a film, book, TV series, etc.) in one sitting. We're going to marathon Star Trek next weekend.
Marathon²
- /ˈmæɹəθən/ UK
- /ˈmæɹəˌθɑn/ US
- /ˈmɛɹəˌθɑn/ US
- /ˈmæɹə(ˌ)θɔn/ Australia
- /ˈmɛɹə(ˌ)θɔn/ New Zealand
Where it comes from
From Ancient Greek Μαραθών (Marathṓn). Doublet of marathon.
proper noun
- A town in Attica, Greece, the site of the victory in 490 BC of heavily outnumbered Athenians against Persians.
- A rural town in the Shire of Flinders, northern Queensland, Australia.
- A town in Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada.
- A city in the Florida Keys, Monroe County, Florida.
- A minor city in Buena Vista County, Iowa.
- A township in Lapeer County, Michigan.
- A town and village therein, in Cortland County, New York.
- An unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Clermont County, Ohio.
- A census-designated place in Brewster County, Texas.
- A town in Marathon County, Wisconsin.
noun Marathons
- Former name of Snickers (“chocolate bar brand”).
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: endurance contest, race, tournament, run, game, course, ouachita, ultramarathon, slog, ultradistance, footrace, gauntlet, ordeal, grind, trial, epic
Translations
Every language
noun road race
| Español | maratón |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 마라톤 maraton |
| 日本語 | マラソン marason |
| 中文 | 馬拉松 /马拉松 mǎlāsōng |
| हिन्दी | मैराथन mairāthan |
| Kiswahili | marathoni |
| Português | maratona |
| Français | marathon |
| Deutsch | Marathon |
| Italiano | maratona |
| Ελληνικά | μαραθώνιος marathónios |
| Română | maraton |
| Русский | марафо́н marafón |
| Tiếng Việt | ma-ra-tông |
| العربية | مَارَاثُون mārāṯūn |
| עברית | מָרָתוֹן maraton |
Talk about this word "marathon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/marathon. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. marathon. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/marathon "marathon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/marathon.Cite this
@misc{marathon_2026,
title = {marathon},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/marathon},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
