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Olympic

[uh-lim-pik, oh-lim-]
adjective
  1. of or relating to the Olympic Games: an Olympic contender.
  2. of or relating to Olympia, in Greece.
  3. pertaining to Mount Olympus, in Greece.
  4. Olympian(def 3).
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noun
  1. an Olympian deity.
  2. Olympics. Olympic Games(def 2).
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Origin of Olympic

1590–1600; < Latin Olympicus of Olympus, of Olympia < Greek Olympikós. See Olympus, -ic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for olympic

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The victors at the Olympic Games had their statues placed in the groves.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • Here were written names, and among them, "Creon, son of the Olympic winner Menon."

  • It was twined of Olympic olive leaves and Apollo's own laurel.

  • You ought to see some of the Cunard boats, the Olympic or the Baltic.

    Pipefuls

    Christopher Morley

  • Among the Olympic deities represented, Zeus takes a prominent part.

British Dictionary definitions for olympic

Olympic

adjective
  1. of or relating to the Olympic Games
  2. of or relating to ancient Olympia
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for olympic

Olympic

adj.

c.1600, "of or in reference to Mount Olympos, also to Olympia (khora), town or district in Elis in ancient Greece, where athletic contests in honor of Olympian Zeus were held 776 B.C.E. and every four years thereafter; from Greek Olympikos, from Olympos, of unknown origin. The modern Olympic Games are a revival, begun in 1896. Not the same place as Mount Olympus, abode of the gods, which was in Thessaly.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper