Etymology

heptathlon

H4E1P3T1A1T1H4L1O1N1

Today it means: An athletic contest comprising seven events; contested mostly by women, for whom this is an Olympic sport. Full definition →

Ancient Greek ἆθλον (âthlon) ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- ← English hepta-
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The story

  1. Proto-Afroasiatic*sṗɣ?
  2. Proto-Semitic*šabʕ-bor.?
  3. Proto-Indo-European*septḿ̥
  4. Proto-Hellenic*heptə́
  5. Ancient Greekἑπτᾰ́ (heptắ)
  6. Englishhepta-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*h₂weh₁-
  8. Ancient Greekἆθλον (âthlon)
  9. English todayheptathlon

From hepta- + -athlon.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.