Olympiad

Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

O·lym·pi·ad

(ō-lĭm′pē-ăd′)

1. An interval of four years between celebrations of the Olympic Games, by which the ancient Greeks reckoned dates.

2. Sports A celebration of the modern Olympic Games.

[Back-formation from Middle English Olympiades, Olympiads, from Latin Olympias, Olympiad-, Olympiad, from Greek Olumpias, Olumpiad-, from Olumpia, Olympia, Greece, site of the Olympic Games.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Olympiad

(əˈlɪmpɪˌæd)

1. (General Sporting Terms) a staging of the modern Olympic Games

2. (Historical Terms) the four-year period between consecutive celebrations of the Olympic Games; a unit of ancient Greek chronology dating back to 776 bc

3. (General Sporting Terms) an international contest in chess, bridge, etc

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

O•lym•pi•ad

(əˈlɪm piˌæd, oʊˈlɪm-)

n. (often l.c.)

1. a period of four years reckoned from one celebration of the Olympic Games to the next, by which the Greeks computed time from 776 B.C.

a. a celebration of the modern Olympic Games.

b. Olympic Games (def. 2).

[1350–1400; Middle English < Latin Olympias < Greek Olympiás. See Olympia, -ad¹]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	Olympiad - one of the four-year intervals between Olympic Games; used to reckon time in ancient Greece for twelve centuries beginning in 776 BC period, period of time, time period - an amount of time; "a time period of 30 years"; "hastened the period of time of his recovery"; "Picasso's blue period"
	2.	Olympiad - the modern revival of the ancient games held once every 4 years in a selected country Olympic Games, Olympics athletic competition, athletic contest, athletics - a contest between athletes Winter Olympic Games, Winter Olympics - an Olympics for winter sports

Translations

Olympiade

olimpíada

Olimpiade

Olympiad

[əʊˈlɪmpɪæd] N → olimpíada f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

Olympiad

n → Olympiade f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

1) Tradition puts Homer and the Homeric poems proper back in the ages before chronological history began, and at the same time assigns the purely Cyclic poems to definite authors who are dated from the first Olympiad (776 B.C.) downwards.

The earliest of the post-Homeric epics of Troy are apparently the "Aethiopis" and the "Sack of Ilium", both ascribed to Arctinus of Miletus who is said to have flourished in the first Olympiad (776 B.C.).

View in context

So far then are they eternal entities, as real to-day as in the first Olympiad. Much revolving them he writes out freely his humor, and gives them body to his own imagination.

What are Olympiads and Consulates to these neighboring systems of being.

View in context

The noble and free citizens of Epidaphne being, as they declare, well satisfied of the faith, valor, wisdom, and divinity of their king, and having, moreover, been eye-witnesses of his late superhuman agility, do think it no more than their duty to invest his brows (in addition to the poetic crown) with the wreath of victory in the footrace -- a wreath which it is evident he must obtain at the celebration of the next Olympiad, and which, therefore, they now give him in advance.

View in context

The students won one gold, four silver, and six bronze medals at the 19th China Western Mathematics Invitational (CWMI), 18th China Girls Mathematical Olympiad (CGMO) and 16th China Southeast Mathematical Olympiad (CSMO).

PH students conquer China in Math contest

Damascus, SANA -- The activities of the 2nd Scientific Assembly for the teams of the Syrian Science Olympiad kicked off on Saturday at the General Agency of Martyrs Children Schools.

2nd Scientific Assembly of Science Olympiad teams kicks off

The 31st International Olympiad in Informatics taking place in Baku and covering August 4-11, where leading mobile operator of the country Azercell acted as Digital Talent Sponsor, has finalized after an intense week of struggle for the name of the champion, the Company told APA Economics.

Azercell awards winners of International Olympiad in Informatics

by Times News Service Science Olympiad Felicitates ISG student

Indian student in Oman awarded

A team from Qatar is participating in the 30th International Biology Olympiad, taking place in the city of Szeged in Hungary until July 21.

Qatar participates in International Biology Olympiad in Hungary

Eric Wang from Naperville North High School is among 20 national finalists participating in the 17th annual USA Biology Olympiad National Finals sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education this summer at the University of California San Diego.