Sport & ContestGreek → English
Gymnast
/ˈdʒɪmnæst/noun
A person who performs gymnastics.
The Greek roots
γυμναστής
gymnastḗs
trainer of athletes
Literally: “one who puts others through exercise”
Follow a root:γυμναστής1 word
The story of the word
English reversed the job. A γυμναστής was the coach, the professional who supervised training and prescribed diet, while the man competing was an ἀθλητής. The trainer's expertise was taken seriously enough that Galen wrote about it, and the modern word arrived in the 1590s still meaning an athletic instructor before it slid across to the performer.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → French → English
- First recorded
- 1590s
Same family
gymnasticsgymnasiumgym
In a sentence
At twelve she was the smallest gymnast in the club and the only one who never fell.