pancratium

[ pan-krey-shee-uhm ]

/ pænˈkreɪ ʃi əm /

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noun, plural pan·cra·ti·a

[pan-krey-shee-uh]. /pænˈkreɪ ʃi ə/.

(in ancient Greece) an athletic contest combining wrestling and boxing.

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Origin of pancratium

1595–1605; <Latin <Greek pankrátion all-power exercise (noun use of neuter adj.), equivalent to pan-pan- + krát(os) strength, mastery + -ion, neuter of -ios adj. suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM pancratium

pan·crat·ic

[pan-krat-ik], /pænˈkræt ɪk/, adjective

Words nearby pancratium

Panchen Lama, panchetto, panchreston, panchromatic, pancosmism, pancratium, pancreas, pancreat-, pancreatectomy, pancreatic duct, pancreatic fibrosis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pancratium in a sentence

He threw off his cloak and challenged the fellow to a bout of pancratium; otherwise he would let him feel his stick.
The Works of Lucian of Samosata, v. 4|Lucian of Samosata
Among this and other plants a lovely white amaryllis, the Pancratium Maritimum, with a sweet and powerful perfume, springs up.
Personal Recollections, from Early Life to Old Age, of Mary Somerville|Mary Somerville
Pancratiast, competitor in the pancratium, a combined contest which comprised boxing and wrestling.
Meditations|Marcus Aurelius
Boxing was introduced now and sometimes the pancratium was used.
The Historical Child|Oscar Chrisman

The Pancratium was a contest in which boxing and wrestling were both allowable.
The Teaching of Epictetus|Epictetus

British Dictionary definitions for pancratium

pancratium

/ (pænˈkreɪʃɪəm) /

noun plural -tia (-ʃɪə)

(in ancient Greece) a wrestling and boxing contest

Derived forms of pancratium

pancratic (pænˈkrætɪk), adjective

Word Origin for pancratium

C17: via Latin from Greek pankration, from pan- + kratos strength

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