Olympian
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Olympian¹
- /əˈlɪm.pɪ.ən/ UK
- /əˈlɪm.pi.ən/ US
Where it comes from
From Late Middle English Olympyan, from Latin Olympius (“of or relating to Mount Olympus”) and its etymon Ancient Greek Ὀλῠ́μπῐος (Olŭ́mpĭos, “of or relating to Mount Olympus; living on Mount Olympus; Olympian”) + English -an (suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘of or pertaining to’, or forming agent nouns). Ὀλῠ́μπῐος (Olŭ́mpĭos) is derived from Ὄλῠμπος (Ólŭmpos, “Mount Olympus”) (from Pre-Greek) + -ῐος (-ĭos, suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘of or pertaining to’).
adjective more Olympian · most Olympian
-
Of or relating to Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece; or (Greek mythology) the Greek gods and goddesses who were believed to live there.
Namely, the Olympian Iove, to whom Antiochus [IV Epiphanes] conſecrated the Temple of God, 2 Mac[cabees] 6.2. and ſo he placed him, as it were, in Gods own cittadell, ver. 31. […] [T]he ſaid Olympian Iove was an Athenian Idoll, and not a Syrian one: which was Antiochus his native Country.
Similar: Olympic
- Celestial, heavenly; also, godlike. Behold! your Saviour mounts th' Olympian plain, / In endleſs glories with his Sire to reign.
- Acting in a remote and superior manner; aloof. The Olympian distance he so carefully cultivated was shot through with genuine exhaustion. Workaholic and overburdened with affairs of state, he had evidently written the letter in snached moments between other matters.
noun Olympians
- Any of the 12 principal gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Demeter, and Hades); (specifically) preceded by the: Zeus, the supreme ruler of the Greek deities. Pauſanias's account is related pretty faithfully there, if we except two errors, one, that Arcas an Olympian mixed ſome Hippomanes with the brazen ſtatue, the other that he caſt a mare. […] We do not find in the author's Latin, that Arcas the Olympian mixed ſome Hippomanes, &c.
- In the Platonist theology of Plethon, a god in one group of supercelestial gods, the other group of such gods being the Tartareans or Titans.
- A person with superior talents or towering achievements.
Olympian²
- /əˈlɪm.pɪ.ən/ UK
- /əˈlɪm.pi.ən/ US
Where it comes from
From Late Latin Olympianus (“Olympic”) + English -an (suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘of or pertaining to’, or forming agent nouns). Olympianus is derived from Latin Olympia (“town in Elis, Greece, where the ancient Olympic Games were held”) + -ānus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’); and Olympia is from Ancient Greek Ὀλυμπῐ́ᾱ (Olumpĭ́ā, “Olympia”), from Ὀλῠ́μπῐος (Olŭ́mpĭos, “of or pertaining to Mount Olympus; living on Mount Olympus, Olympian; (specifically) Zeus”) or Ὄλῠμπος (Ólŭmpos, “Mount Olympus”) (see further at etymology 1) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns).
As regards noun sense 1 (“inhabitant of the city of Olympia, Washington, United States”), the city was named after the Olympic Mountains which are visible to the northwest, which in turn were named after Mount Olympus in Greece.
adjective
- Of or relating to the town of Olympia in Elis, Greece; Olympic.
- Of or relating to the ancient Olympic Games held at Olympia; Olympic. For he [Alexander the Great] was not (as his father Philip [II of Macedon]) deſirous of all kind of glorie: who like a Rhetoritian had a delight to vtter his eloquence, and ſtamped in his coines, the victories he had wonne at the Olympian games, by the ſwift running of his horſe and coaches. For whe
- Of or relating to the modern Olympic Games; Olympic.
noun Olympians
- An inhabitant of the city of Olympia, the capital of Washington, United States.
- A sportsperson competing in the ancient Olympic Games. And I haue ſeene thee pauſe, and take thy breath, / When that a ring of Greekes haue ſhruped thee in, / Like an Olympian wraſtling.
- A sportsperson competing in the modern Olympic Games. I will forever carry the pride and privilege of representing this amazing country on the grandest global stage. There is so much that comes with that, with being an Olympian. But now, because of Covid-19, some athletes will never get that honour. […] There will be people who were getting the timing
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: majestic, superior, extraordinary, exceptional, prodigious, exceeding, surpassing, olympic, olympic god, athene, olympus, ogygian, ambrosial, hermetic, titanic, hephaestic
Translations
Every language
adj of or relating to Mount Olympus
| Español | olímpico |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | ओलिंपियाई olimpiyāī |
| Português | olímpico |
| Français | olympien |
| Deutsch | olympisch |
| Italiano | olimpiaco, olimpico, olimpio |
| Ελληνικά | ολύμπιος olýmpios |
| Română | olimpian |
| Русский | олимпи́йский olimpíjskij |
adj of or relating to the Greek gods and goddesses believed to live on Mount Olympus
| Español | olímpico |
|---|---|
| Português | olímpico |
| Français | olympien |
| Deutsch | olympisch |
| Italiano | olimpiaco, olimpico, olimpio |
| Ελληνικά | ολύμπιος olýmpios |
| Română | olimpian |
| Русский | олимпи́йский olimpíjskij |
noun any of the 12 principal gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon
| Français | olympien, olympienne |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Olympier, Olympierin |
| Ελληνικά | ολύμπιος olýmpios, ολύμπια olýmpia, ολυμπία olympía |
| Română | olimpian, olimpiană |
| Русский | олимпи́ец olimpíjec |
noun sportsperson competing in the ancient or modern Olympic Games
| Español | olímpico, olímpica |
|---|---|
| Français | olympien, olympienne |
| Deutsch | Olympionike, Olympionikin, Olympiasieger, Olympiasiegerin, Olympiateilnehmer, Olympiateilnehmerin |
| Italiano | olimpionico, olimpionica |
| Română | olimpic, olimpică |
| Русский | олимпи́ец olimpíjec, олимпи́йка olimpíjka |
noun inhabitant of the city of Olympia, Washington, United States
| Ελληνικά | ολύμπιος olýmpios |
|---|
Talk about this word "Olympian." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/olympian. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. Olympian. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/olympian "Olympian." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/olympian.Cite this
@misc{olympian_2026,
title = {Olympian},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/olympian},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
