athletic
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /æθˈlɛt.ɪk/
rhymes: -ɛtɪk
Forms: form: more athletic
form: most athletic
form: athletick
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁-der.
Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr
Proto-Indo-European *-tromder.
Ancient Greek ἆθλον (âthlon)
Ancient Greek ᾱ̓θλέω (āthléō)
Proto-Hellenic *-tās
Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs)
Ancient Greek ἀθλητής (athlētḗs)
Proto-Indo-European *-kos
Ancient Greek -κός (-kós)
Ancient Greek -ικός (-ikós)
Ancient Greek ᾱ̓θλητῐκός (āthlētĭkós)bor.
Latin āthlēticuslbor.
Middle French athletiquebor.
English athletic
Borrowed from Middle French athletique and Latin āthlēticus, from Ancient Greek ἀθλητικός (athlētikós, “relating to an athlete”), from ἀθλητής (athlētḗs, “athlete”): equivalent to athlete + -ic. For more, see athlete.
The Super Mario sense is effectively a reborrowing of Japanese アスレチック (asurechikku, “obstacle course”), originally borrowed from English athletic; this sense was itself originally a clipping of the genericized wasei eigo trademark フィールドアスレチック (fīrudo asurechikku, “Field Athletic”).
Senses: examples: text: Are you a member of the American Athletic Association?
glosses: Having to do with athletes.
examples: text: Since you're such an athletic person, you may wish to consider joining.
text: An athletic kid from New Jersey, Fischer was known as a bold risk taker — they called him “the fallingest man in climbing” — until an old-school cragger taught him the Zen of controlled ascent.
ref: 2008 March 2, Bruce Barcott, “The Higher They Climb”, in The New York Times:
glosses: Physically active.
examples: text: You have such an athletic build—you must work out regularly.
glosses: Having a muscular, well developed body, being in shape.
examples: text: The center fielder made an athletic play to snatch the ball from over the fence.
glosses: An attribute of a motion or play which requires fine physical ability.
examples: text: An athletic course in which Mario must traverse rotating lifts and stretch blocks.
ref: 2018, Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia, Milwaukie: Dark Horse, →OCLC, page 65:
text: Mario levels are usually indicated to belong to one of five types (overworld, underground, athletic, castle, underwater)². The type determines the aesthetic style of the level, but also affects the challenges that are posed. For example, athletic levels usually contain platforms that are spaced far apart, as well as moving platforms. They thus require precise and timed jumps to traverse.
ref: 2019, S. M. Lucas, V. Volz, “Tile pattern KL-divergence for analysing and evolving game levels”, in Proceedings of the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference, page 171:
topics: video-games
glosses: Of a level in a Super Mario game: with an emphasis on platforming challenge, often involving precise jumps between floating platforms above a bottomless pit, and having upbeat background music.
Derived terms: antiathletic
athleisure
athletically
athletic heart syndrome
athleticism
athleticize
athleticness
athletic protector
athletics
athletic shoe
athletic supporter
athletic tape
athleticwear
cyberathletic
hyperathletic
mathletic
nonathletic
philathletic
pseudoathletic
unathletic
Related terms: athlete