olympiad
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olympiad¹
noun olympiads
- Alternative letter-case form of Olympiad The reckoning by olympiads, or any other fixed æra, was not yet in uſe among the Greeks. The Arundelian marbles were compoſed ſixty years after the death of Alexander the Great, and yet mention not the olympiads, nor any ſtanding æra, but reckon backward from the time then preſent. In the next olymp
Olympiad²
- /oʊˈlɪm.pi.æd/ US
- /oʊˈlɪm.pi.əd/ US
- /əˈlɪm.pi.əd/ US
- /əˈlɪmpiæd/ UK
- /-əd/ UK
Where it comes from
From the plural forms Olimpiades, Olympiades, and Olympiadiz of Middle English Olimpias and Olympias (“ancient Olympic Games, 4-year period between these games, intense battle or competition”) from Middle French Olympiade and Old French Olympiade (“ancient Olympic games, 4-year period between these games”), from Latin Olympias (“4-year period between Olympic Games”) whose genitive form was Olympiados or Olympiadis), from Ancient Greek Ὀλυμπῐᾰ́ς (Olumpĭắs, “ancient Olympic Games, 4-year period between these games”) whose plural form was Ὀλυμπῐᾰ́δες (Olumpĭắdes), from Ὀλυμπῐ́ᾱ (Olumpĭ́ā, “Olympia”), the town in ancient Greece where the games were held, + -ᾰ́ς (-ắs, a suffix forming feminine adjectives or nouns), from either Ὀλῠ́μπῐος (Olŭ́mpĭos, “of or related to Mount Olympus, Olympian, the Olympian Zeus”) or Ὄλῠμπος (Ólŭmpos, “Mount Olympus”) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns).
The use of olympiad for academic competitions aspiring to the level of the Olympic Games was first popularized by the International Mathematical Olympiad, a calque of its Romanian name Olimpiada Internațională de Matematică.
noun Olympiads · Ol. · olympiad
-
A four-year period, particularly (historical) those based on Hippias's computations of the ancient Olympic Games which placed Coroebus's footrace victory in 776 BCE and (sports) those based on the modern Summer Olympic Games first held in 1896.
Ancient sources variously dated the founding of Rome to the 38th year before the first Olympiad, the third or fourth year of the sixth Olympiad, the first year of the seventh or eighth Olympiad, or the fourth year of the 12th Olympiad.
Similar: quadrennium
-
Synonym of Olympic Games: an instance of the ancient or modern Olympic Games.
Victors at the ancient Olympiads only won an olive wreath but were usually freed from paying taxes for the remainder of their life, but modern Olympians have frequently needed to pay taxes on the market value of their gold, silver, or bronze medals.
Similar: Olympic Games
- A competition aspiring to the importance of the Olympic Games or considered similar to them, especially one occurring at 4-year intervals, representing a national or international range of amateur student rather than professional adult competition, and/or requiring the highest level of ability in the field for success. the International Mathematical Olympiad... the Science Olympiad... the International Science Olympiads... the Women's Chess Olympiad...
Translations
Every language
noun period between celebrations of the ancient or modern Olympic Games
| Español | olimpíada |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 올림피아드 ollimpiadeu |
| 日本語 | オリンピアード orinpiādo |
| 中文 | 奧林匹克週期 /奥林匹克周期 àolínpǐkèzhōuqī, -qí |
| हिन्दी | ओलम्पियाड olampiyāḍ |
| Português | olimpíada |
| Français | olympiade |
| Deutsch | Olympiade |
| Italiano | olimpiade |
| Ελληνικά | ολυμπιάδα olympiáda |
| Română | olimpiadă |
| Русский | олимпиа́да olimpiáda |
| العربية | أُولِمْبْيَاد ʔūlimbyād, أُولِمْبِيَّة ʔūlimbiyya |
| עברית | אוֹלִימְפְּיָאדָה olimpyáda |
noun celebration of the ancient or modern Olympic Games
| Français | olympiade |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | ολυμπιάδα olympiáda |
noun high-level competitions in other fields, especially among students
| 中文 | 奧林匹克競賽 /奥林匹克竞赛 àolínpǐkè jìngsài |
|---|---|
| Português | olimpíada |
| Deutsch | Olympiade |
| Română | olimpiada |
| Русский | олимпиада olimpiada |
Talk about this word "olympiad." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/olympiad. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. olympiad. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/olympiad "olympiad." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/olympiad.Cite this
@misc{olympiad_2026,
title = {olympiad},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/olympiad},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
