noun
pentathlon
Pentathlon (noun) means an ancient athletics discipline, featuring five events: stadion, wrestling, long jump, javelin and discus.
noun
1
An ancient athletics discipline, featuring five events: stadion, wrestling, long jump, javelin and discus
2
Ellipsis of women's pentathlon (“a 20th-century athletics discipline for women, the women's counterpart of the men's decathlon, the predecessor to the women's heptathlon, featuring five events: hurdles, shot put, high jump, long jump, and a run”).
3
A sports contest with five events, developed from skills used by soldiers in the late 1800s.
"In the end, why not be happy with both, with the BMXes and the pentathlons, with the swans of synchro and the Quasimodos of wrestling? Sweet."
— , The old school survives at the Olympics, amid new events (2008)
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Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek πένταθλον (péntathlon), formed from πέντε (pénte, “five”) and ἆθλον (âthlon, “contest”); by surface analysis, penta- + -athlon.
Rhymes for pentathlon
See all rhymes for pentathlon →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of pentathlon?
"pentathlon" (noun) means an ancient athletics discipline, featuring five events: stadion, wrestling, long jump, javelin and discus.
What are the different meanings of pentathlon?
"pentathlon" has 3 main meanings: 1. An ancient athletics discipline, featuring five events: stadion, wrestling, long jump, javelin and discus; 2. Ellipsis of women's pentathlon (“a 20th-century athletics discipline for women, the women's counterpart of the men's decathlon, the predecessor to the women's heptathlon, featuring five events: hurdles, shot put, high jump, long jump, and a run”); 3. A sports contest with five events, developed from skills used by soldiers in the late 1800s.
