Olympic games

Olympic games
Olympic games O*lym"pic games, or Olympics O*lym"pics A modified revival of the ancient Olympian games, consisting of international athletic games, races, etc., now held once in four years, the first having been at Athens in 1896.

Note: There are now two sets of modern Olympic games, the summer games and the winter games. Both had been held every four years, in the same year, but in 1998 for the first time the winter games began to be held two years after the summer games, though each series is still held only once every four years. The number and types of sports contests held at the olympics has greatly expanded from the original number. [Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Olympic games — O*lym pic games, or Olympian games O*lym pi*an games . (Greek Antiq.), The greatest of the national festivals of the ancient Greeks, consisting of athletic games and races, dedicated to Olympian Zeus, celebrated once in four years at Olympia, and …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Olympic Games — ► PLURAL NOUN 1) a sports festival held every four years in different countries, instigated in 1896. 2) an ancient Greek festival with athletic, literary, and musical competitions, held at Olympia every four years …   English terms dictionary

  • Olympic games — n. 1. an ancient Greek festival consisting of contests in athletics, poetry, and music, held every four years at Olympia to honor Zeus 2. a modern international athletic competition that is generally held every four years in a different location …   English World dictionary

  • Olympic Games — For the 776 BC to AD 393 Games see Ancient Olympic Games. For the most recent Summer Games in Beijing, see 2008 Summer Olympics. For the most recent Winter Games in Vancouver, see 2010 Winter Olympics. For the next Summer Games in London, see… …   Wikipedia

  • Olympic Games — 1. Also called Olympian Games. the greatest of the games or festivals of ancient Greece, held every four years in the plain of Olympia in Elis, in honor of Zeus. 2. a modern international sports competition, held once every four years. [1600 10]… …   Universalium

  • OLYMPIC GAMES — Between 1896 and 2004, Jews won 306 medals (137 gold, 79 silver, 90 bronze) in Olympic competition. (See Table: Jewish Olympic Medal Winners.) In addition, Alfred Hajos (Guttmann) of Hungary, a winner of Olympic swimming medals, was awarded a… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Olympic Games —    According to Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the announcement in October 1986 that the twenty fifth modern summer Olympics were to be held in his native Barcelona was one of the proudest moments… …   Encyclopedia of contemporary Spanish culture

  • Olympic Games — /əlɪmpɪk ˈgeɪmz/ (say uhlimpik gaymz) plural noun 1. the greatest of the games or festivals of ancient Greece, held every four years, with occasional interruptions, from 776 BC to AD 393, in the plain of Olympia in Elis, in honour of Zeus. 2.… …  

  • Olympic Games — O.lympic Games also Olympics n [plural] the Olympic Games/the Olympics an international sports event held every four years in different countries ▪ the 1976 Olympic Games …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Olympic Games — n. to hold the Olympic Games * * * to hold the Olympic Games …   Combinatory dictionary

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