Dictionary

pentathlon en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek πένταθλον (péntathlon), from πέντε (pénte, “five”) + ἆθλον (âthlon, “contest”). By surface analysis, penta- + -athlon.

Meanings

1. An ancient athletics discipline, featuring five events: stadion, wrestling, long jump, javelin and discus
2. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis) Ellipsis of women's pentathlon (“a 20th-century athletics discipline for women, the women's counterpart of the men's decathlon, the predecessor to the women's heptathlon, featuring five events: hurdles, shot put, high jump, long jump, and a run”).
   alt of women's pentathlon
3. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis) Ellipsis of modern pentathlon, a discipline with five events based on late-19th century basic military skills.
   alt of modern pentathlon
   • Dwindling interest and a reputation for being outdated couldn’t change modern pentathlon. A brief video clip of a coach punching a horse at the Tokyo Olympics has altered it forever. After more than a century of having its participants compete by running, shooting, fencing, swimming and riding, modern pentathlon will drop equestrian jumping from the event, the sport’s federation said Thursday. 2021 March 11, Victor Mather, “Modern Pentathlon Drops Equestrian Competition After Abuse Claims”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 05 Nov 2025:
   • In the end, why not be happy with both, with the BMXes and the pentathlons, with the swans of synchro and the Quasimodos of wrestling? Sweet. 2008 August 21, “The old school survives at the Olympics, amid new events”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 23 Jan 2025:

Forms

Deriveds

snow pentathlon

Descendants

ペンタスロン · pentathlon

Relateds

pentathlete

Synonyms

ancient Greek pentathlon · ancient pentathlon · Greek pentathlon

Translations (58)

pl pięciobój (20th-century women's pentathlon) · it pentathlon (ancient pentathlon) · hu öttusa (modern pentathlon) · nn femkamp (modern pentathlon) · ru пятибо́рье (ancient pentathlon) · cs pětiboj (ancient pentathlon) · uk п'ятибо́рство (20th-century women's pentathlon) · cmn 五項全能 /五项全能 (modern pentathlon) · sv femkamp (ancient pentathlon) · gl péntatlon (ancient pentathlon) · fi nykyaikainen viisiottelu (modern pentathlon) · mk петобој (20th-century women's pentathlon) · ca pentatló (modern pentathlon) · is fimmþraut (modern pentathlon) · lv pieccīņa (modern pentathlon) · fi antiikin viisiottelu (ancient pentathlon) · el πένταθλο (modern pentathlon) · nl vijfkamp (modern pentathlon) · sk päťboj (modern pentathlon) · uk п'ятибо́рство (modern pentathlon) · bg модерен петобой (modern pentathlon) · ru пятибо́рье (modern pentathlon) · bg петобой (ancient pentathlon) · kk бессайыс (modern pentathlon) · hy հնգամարտ (modern pentathlon) · de Moderner Fünfkampf (modern pentathlon) · ja 五種競技 (modern pentathlon) · pt pentatlo (modern pentathlon) · lt penkiakovė (modern pentathlon) · ko 오종경기 (modern pentathlon) · de Frauenfünfkampf (20th-century women's pentathlon) · de Fünfkampf (ancient pentathlon) · nl pentatlon (ancient pentathlon) · mk петобој (ancient pentathlon) · de Fünfkampf (modern pentathlon) · mk пентатлон (ancient pentathlon) · pl pięciobój (ancient pentathlon) · ka ხუთჭიდი (ancient pentathlon) · uk п'ятибо́рство (ancient pentathlon) · et viievõistlus (modern pentathlon) · tr pentatlon (modern pentathlon) · es pentatlón (ancient pentathlon) · de Fünfkampf (20th-century women's pentathlon) · mk пентатлон (20th-century women's pentathlon) · de Pentathlon (ancient pentathlon) · da femkamp (modern pentathlon) · ro pentatlon (ancient pentathlon) · cs pětiboj (modern pentathlon) · ro pentatlon (modern pentathlon) · es pentatlón (modern pentathlon) · pl pięciobój nowoczesny (modern pentathlon) · nb femkamp (modern pentathlon) · fr pentathlon (ancient pentathlon) · ca pentatló (ancient pentathlon) · sv femkamp (modern pentathlon) · ja ペンタスロン (modern pentathlon) · pt pentatlo (ancient pentathlon) · gl péntatlon (modern pentathlon)