calisthenics
Americannoun
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(used with a plural verb) gymnastic exercises designed to develop physical health and vigor, usually performed with little or no special apparatus.
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(used with a singular verb) the art, practice, or a session of such exercises.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of calisthenics
1840–50; cali- (variant of calli- ) + Greek sthén ( os ) strength + -ics
Explanation
Calisthenics is exercise, like jumping jacks or pull-ups, that people do to stay in shape or get in better shape. Doing calisthenics usually involves simple movements, like stretching, jumping, bending, and kicking, that don't involve a lot of equipment, if any. Kids in gym class do calisthenics, and calisthenics are helpful to many people, including athletes and people in the military. The push-up is a famous example of calisthenics. Those limber folks on cheerleading squads are masters of calisthenics. A little calisthenics can be helpful in anyone's everyday routine as a way to build endurance and stay healthy.
Vocabulary lists containing calisthenics
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Calisthenics: Calisthenics use your body weight as a strength training tool.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 20, 2021
Ms. Frink and Mr. McNeil wrote a book together, “Flexus: Trumpet Calisthenics for the Modern Improvisor,” which has become an essential resource for many trumpeters since its publication a decade ago.
From New York Times • Jul. 18, 2013
Calisthenics booklets, furnished by an oil company, disappeared from local gas stations.
From Time Magazine Archive
Calisthenics may be called the big brother, the grown-up form, of the setting-up exercise.
From Manual of Military Training Second, Revised Edition by Moss, James A. (James Alfred)
I was thrown into an ecstasy of astonishment, when, in glancing over the names of the honorable Faculty, my attention was arrested by words to this effect: Miss Hurribattle, Professor of Calisthenics and Female Deportment.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 11, No. 66, April, 1863 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
