discus

D2I1S1C3U1S1
Australia, Canada, UK, US/ˈdɪs.kəs/

noun

A round plate-like object that is thrown for sport.

Less commonScrabble 9

Meanings

noundiscus (plural discuses)

plural discuses

  1. A round plate-like object that is thrown for sport.

    He Robert Garrett] won even though he hadn't ever touched a real discus until just before the event was held.

    August 18 2004, Frank Fitzpatrick, “The amazing story of the first discus medal winner”, in The Philadelphia Inquirer
    1 more example

    [Gerd] Kanter had agreed to demonstrate his throwing skill on Friday, but rather than bringing his own discuses—he usually travels with about five of them, […]

    August 23 2008, John Branch, “Estonia's Kanter Celebrates Gold Medal in the Discus His Way”, in The New York Times

    Synonyms: quoit

  2. uncountableathleticsThe athletics event of discus throw.

    And Chris Martin took a silver medal in the discus on the opening day in the Bird's Nest, […]

    2008 September 8, “Weir lays down marker in Beijing”, in BBC
    1 more example

    For two years Templeton has given individual attention to Krenz. The young man has reciprocated by giving at least two hours each day to practice in the shot and discus.

    1929 July 4, Harry L. Borba, “The Superman of Track”, in The Vernon Daily Record, volume 4, number 209, Vernon, Texas, page 6
  3. pluralA discus fish (genus Symphysodon)

    The main body of the Amazon River is too fast, too deep, and too silt laden for discus.

    2008, Carol Roberts, “History of Discus”, in North American Discus Association, archived from the original on 08 Dec 2008
  4. datedrareA chakram.

    And Narayana instantly cut off with his discus the well-adorned head of the Danava who was drinking the Amrita without permission.

    1893, K. M. Ganguli, The Mahabharata, translation of original by Krishna-Swaipayana Vyasa, Adi Parva, Section XIX
    1 more example

    If with a discus with an edge sharp as a razor he should make all the living creatures on the earth one heap, one mass, of flesh, […]

    1899, Thomas William Rhys Davids, transl., Sàmañña-Phàla Sutta, translation of original by Digha Nikaya

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA round plate-like object that is thrown for sport.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

nouna disk used in throwing competitions

Similar
Broader
diskdiscsports equipment
Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekδίσκος“disk, quoit, platter”
  2. Latindiscus
  3. Englishdiscus

1656. From Latin discus, from Ancient Greek δίσκος (dískos, “disk, quoit, platter”). Doublet of dais, desk, disc, dish, disk, and diskos.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek δίσκος
  • δίσκος (dískos)round plate-like object for throwing
Arabic قُرْص
  • قُرْص (qurṣ)round plate-like object for throwing
Basque disko
  • diskoround plate-like object for throwing
Bengali চাকতি, ডিস্ক
  • চাকতি (cakti)round plate-like object for throwing
  • ডিস্ক (ḍisko)round plate-like object for throwing
Bulgarian диск, мята́не на диск
  • диск (disk)round plate-like object for throwing
  • мята́не на диск (mjatáne na disk)athletics sport of throwing the discus
Catalan disc
  • discround plate-like object for throwing
Chinese Mandarin 鐵餅 /铁饼
  • 鐵餅 /铁饼 (tiěbǐng)round plate-like object for throwing
Czech disk
  • diskround plate-like object for throwing
Danish diskos
  • diskosround plate-like object for throwing
Dutch discus, discuswerpen
  • discusround plate-like object for throwing
  • discuswerpenathletics sport of throwing the discus
Esperanto disko
  • diskoround plate-like object for throwing
Estonian ketas
  • ketasround plate-like object for throwing
Finnish kiekko, kiekonheitto
  • kiekkoround plate-like object for throwing
  • kiekonheittoathletics sport of throwing the discus
French disque, disque
  • disqueround plate-like object for throwing
  • disqueathletics sport of throwing the discus
German Diskus, Wurfscheibe
  • Diskusround plate-like object for throwing
  • Wurfscheiberound plate-like object for throwing
  • Diskuswerfenathletics sport of throwing the discus
Greek δίσκος, δισκοβολία
  • δίσκος (dískos)round plate-like object for throwing
  • δισκοβολία (diskovolía)athletics sport of throwing the discus
Hebrew דִּיסְקוּס, הטלת דיסקוס
  • דִּיסְקוּס (dískus)round plate-like object for throwing
  • הטלת דיסקוס (hatalát dískus)athletics sport of throwing the discus
Hindi चक्र, चक्का
  • चक्र (cakra)round plate-like object for throwing
  • चक्का (cakkā)round plate-like object for throwing
  • डिस्क (ḍisk)round plate-like object for throwing
Hungarian diszkosz, diszkosz
  • diszkoszround plate-like object for throwing
  • diszkoszathletics sport of throwing the discus
Icelandic kringla, kringlukast
  • kringlaround plate-like object for throwing
  • kringlukastathletics sport of throwing the discus
Italian disco
  • discoround plate-like object for throwing
Japanese 円盤
  • 円盤 (enban)round plate-like object for throwing
Korean 원반
  • 원반 (wonban)round plate-like object for throwing
Latin discus
  • discusround plate-like object for throwing
Latvian disks
  • disksround plate-like object for throwing
Lithuanian diskas
  • diskasround plate-like object for throwing
Norwegian Bokmål diskos, diskoskast
  • diskosround plate-like object for throwing
  • diskoskastathletics sport of throwing the discus
Persian دیسک
  • دیسک (disk)round plate-like object for throwing
Polish dysk, rzut dyskiem
  • dyskround plate-like object for throwing
  • rzut dyskiemathletics sport of throwing the discus
Portuguese disco, arremesso de disco
  • discoround plate-like object for throwing
  • arremesso de discoathletics sport of throwing the discus
Romanian disc
  • discround plate-like object for throwing
Russian диск, мета́ние ди́ска
  • диск (disk)round plate-like object for throwing
  • мета́ние ди́ска (metánije díska)athletics sport of throwing the discus
Slovak disk
  • diskround plate-like object for throwing
Spanish disco, disco
  • discoround plate-like object for throwing
  • discoathletics sport of throwing the discus
Swedish diskus, diskus
  • diskusround plate-like object for throwing
  • diskusathletics sport of throwing the discus
Thai จักร, ดิสก์
  • จักร (jàk)round plate-like object for throwing
  • ดิสก์ (dìt)round plate-like object for throwing
Turkish disk, disk atma
  • diskround plate-like object for throwing
  • disk atmaathletics sport of throwing the discus
Ukrainian диск
  • диск (dysk)round plate-like object for throwing
Urdu ڈسکس
  • ڈسکس (ḍisk)round plate-like object for throwing
Vietnamese dĩa
  • dĩaround plate-like object for throwing

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with discus

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

discus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/discus

MLA

“discus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/discus. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “discus,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/discus.

Source: discus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.