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-athon

See more synonyms for -athon on Thesaurus.com
  1. a suffix extracted from marathon, occurring as the final element in compounds which have the general sense “an event, as a sale or contest, drawn out to unusual length, often until a prearranged goal, as the contribution of a certain amount of money, is reached”: walkathon; readathon.
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Also -a-thon, -thon.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for thon

Historical Examples

  • Maybe its from thon McAlenan fellow that owes me two pound for the heifer.

    The Drone

    Rutherford Mayne

  • "Thon was a brave coup you gave the soger in the street," she said.

    The Northern Iron

    George A. Birmingham

  • I aye said it of ye from thon night when you throttled the dragoon.

    The Northern Iron

    George A. Birmingham

  • And, what's more, thon man'll no sit easy on his horse for a bit.

    The Northern Iron

    George A. Birmingham

  • She's waving her hand to me and her in the very mouth of thon awful cave.

    The Northern Iron

    George A. Birmingham

British Dictionary definitions for thon

thon

determiner
  1. a Scot word for yon
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Word Origin

C19: of uncertain origin
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 thon

-athon

also -thon, word-forming element denoting prolonged activity and usually some measure of endurance, abstracted from marathon. E.g. walkathon (1931), skatathon (1933); talkathon (1948); telethon (1949).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper