Etymology

Paralympian

Pa·ra·lymp·i·an
P3A1R1A1L1Y4M3P3I1A1N1

Today it means: One who competes in the Paralympic Games. Full definition →

First used mid 20th c.
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The story

From Paralympic + -ian (suffix with the sense ‘having a certain profession’ forming nouns, or with the sense ‘from, like, or related to’ forming adjectives). Paralympic is a blend of paraplegic + Olympic; the Paralympic Games were originally organized for persons with paraplegia from spinal injuries, but are now participated in by sportspersons with all kinds of disabilities.

First known use, by meaning

  • from mid 20th c. One who competes in the Paralympic Games.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.