Meanings
- countableuncountableA sport involving the performance of sequences of movements requiring physical strength, flexibility, and kinesthetic awareness.
Gymnastics was a significant part of the physical education curriculum.
- countableuncountableComplex intellectual or artistic exercises or feats of physical agility.
His mental gymnastics are legendary.
2 more examples
[…] something undoubtedly caused Mr. Joolby to stumble back and he floundered into the arms—and incidentally upon the toes—of his fellow conspirators. That was the moment chosen for the room to be blacked completely out […] "What the hell's happened?" shouted Nickle—the first to find his voice because he was the least involved in the gymnastics.
1934, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], The Bravo of LondonHer voice swooped and soared as she raced through some double time vocal gymnastics which included a beautifully clear horn impersonation.
1983 April 23, Ruth Borenstein, “Alive! Dazzles”, in Gay Community News, page 11
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna sport that involves exercises intended to display strength and balance and agility
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekγυμναστικός
- Latingymnasticus
- Englishgymnastics
From gymnastic: see -ics; from Latin gymnasticus, from Ancient Greek γυμναστικός (gumnastikós), from γυμναστής (gumnastḗs, “athlete, gymnast”), from γῠμνᾰ́ζω (gŭmnắzō, “to train, exercise”), from γυμνός (gumnós, “naked”), because Greek athletes trained naked. By surface analysis, gymnast + -ics.
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic جُمْبَاز
- جُمْبَاز (jumbāz)a sport
Bulgarian гимна́стика
- гимна́стика (gimnástika)a sport
Catalan gimnàstica
- gimnàsticaa sport
Chinese Mandarin 體操 /体操, 體育 /体育
- 體操 /体操 (tǐcāo)a sport
- 體育 /体育 (tǐyù)a sport
Czech gymnastika
- gymnastikaa sport
Danish gymnastik
- gymnastika sport
Dutch gymnastiek
- gymnastieka sport
Esperanto gimnastiko, akrobataĵo
- gimnastikoa sport
- akrobataĵocomplex intellectual or artistic exercise
Finnish voimistelu, harjoitus
- voimistelua sport
- harjoituscomplex intellectual or artistic exercise
French gymnastique
- gymnastiquea sport
German Turnen, Gymnastik
- Turnena sport
- Gymnastika sport
- Gymnastikcomplex intellectual or artistic exercise
Greek γυμναστική, ακροβατισμός
- γυμναστική (gymnastikí)a sport
- ακροβατισμός (akrovatismós)complex intellectual or artistic exercise
Hebrew הִתְעַמְּלוּת
- הִתְעַמְּלוּתa sport
Hungarian gimnasztika, torna
- gimnasztikaa sport
- tornaa sport
Icelandic fimleikar
- fimleikara sport
Indonesian senam, gimnastik
- senama sport
- gimnastika sport
Italian ginnastica, ginnastica
- ginnasticaa sport
- ginnasticacomplex intellectual or artistic exercise
Japanese 体操, 体育
- 体操 (taisō)a sport
- 体育 (taiiku)a sport
Korean 체조
- 체조 (chejo)a sport
Latvian vingrošana
- vingrošanaa sport
Malay gerak badan, gimnastik
- gerak badana sport
- gimnastika sport
- taisoa sport
Māori takaporepore
- takaporeporea sport
Norwegian gymnastikk, turn
- gymnastikka sport
- turna sport
Persian ژیمناستیک
- ژیمناستیک (žīmnāstīk)a sport
Polish gimnastyka, gimnastyka
- gimnastykaa sport
- gimnastykacomplex intellectual or artistic exercise
Portuguese ginástica
- ginásticaa sport
Romanian gimnastică
- gimnasticăa sport
Russian гимна́стика, гимна́стика
- гимна́стика (gimnástika)a sport
- гимна́стика (gimnástika)complex intellectual or artistic exercise
Spanish gimnasia, gimnástica
- gimnasiaa sport
- gimnásticaa sport
Swedish gymnastik
- gymnastika sport
Tagalog palakatwanan
- palakatwanana sport
Turkish jimnastik
- jimnastika sport
Ukrainian гімна́стика
- гімна́стика (himnástyka)a sport
Vietnamese thể dục, sự rèn luyện
- thể dụca sport
- sự rèn luyệncomplex intellectual or artistic exercise
Yiddish גימנאַסטיק
- גימנאַסטיק (gimnastik)a sport
Cite this entry
gymnastics. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gymnastics
“gymnastics.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gymnastics. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gymnastics,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gymnastics.
Source: gymnastics on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.