olympiad

olympiad
noun Usage: often capitalized Etymology: Middle English Olympias, from Latin Olympiad-, Olympias, from Greek, from Olympia, site of ancient Olympic Games Date: 14th century 1. one of the 4-year intervals between Olympic Games by which time was reckoned in ancient Greece 2. a quadrennial celebration of the modern Olympic Games; also a competition or series of competitions resembling an olympiad especially in variety or challenge <
the mathematics olympiad
>

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Olympiad — O*lym pi*ad ([ o]*l[i^]m p[i^]*[a^]d), n. [L. olympias, adis, Gr. olympia s, olympia dos, fr. O lympos Olympus, a mountain in Macedonia: cf. F. olympiade.] 1. (Greek Antiq.) A period of four years, by which the ancient Greeks reckoned time, being …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Olympiad — Olympiad, Olympian, Olympic An Olympiad is an old term for a period of four years between Olympic Games (used principally in ancient dating), and a particular celebration of the ancient Olympic Games (and is occasionally also applied in the same… …   Modern English usage

  • Olympiad — (n.) late 14c., period of four years (between Olympic games), from Fr. Olympiade, from L. Olympiadem, from Gk. olympiados, genitive of Olympias (see OLYMPIC (Cf. Olympic)). Used by ancient Greeks as a unit in computing time. Revived in modern… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Olympiad — ► NOUN 1) a staging of the ancient or modern Olympic Games. 2) a period of four years between Olympic Games, used by the ancient Greeks in dating events …   English terms dictionary

  • Olympiad — [ō lim′pē ad΄, əlim′pē ad΄; ō lim′pēəd, ə lim′pēəd] n. [Fr olympiade < Gr Olympias (gen. Olympiados) < Olympia,OLYMPIA2 (the plain)] [often o ] 1. in ancient Greece, any of the four year periods between Olympic games: used by the Greeks in… …   English World dictionary

  • Olympiad — Stadium at ancient Olympia An Olympiad is a period of four years, associated with the Olympic Games of Classical Greece. In the Hellenistic period, beginning with Ephorus, Olympiads were used as calendar epoch. In this reckoning, the first… …   Wikipedia

  • olympiad —    a unit of time equal to four years. In ancient Greece, the olympiad referred to the four year interval between successive Olympic Games. The first Greek olympiad was the period 776 773 BC. The olympiad was revived in 1896 when the modern… …   Dictionary of units of measurement

  • Olympiad — UK [əˈlɪmpɪˌæd] / US noun [countable] Word forms Olympiad : singular Olympiad plural Olympiads formal a) a meeting of the Olympic Games b) an international competition in a particular sport or activity, such as chess …   English dictionary

  • Olympiad — Olympiadic, adj. /euh lim pee ad , oh lim /, 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. 2. a celebration of the modern Olympic Games.… …   Universalium

  • Olympiad — O|lym|pi|ad [əˈlımpi æd] n formal [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: Olympiade, from Greek, from Olympia] a particular occasion of the modern Olympic Games ▪ the 25th Olympiad …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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