Wiktionary:Word of the day/September 2

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Olympiad n

(Ancient Greece, sports, historical) A period of four (or sometimes five) years by which the ancient Greeks reckoned time, being the interval from one celebration of the Olympic Games to another, beginning with the victory of Coroebus of Elis in the foot race which took place in 776 B.C.E. Synonym of Olympic Games (“a celebration of the ancient Olympic Games”) (by extension) (sports) A period of four years between occurrences of the modern Olympic Games. (sports) Synonym of Olympic Games (“an occurrence of the modern Olympic Games”) Usually preceded by a descriptive word: a competition or series of competitions involving an academic discipline (such as mathematics or science), game (such as chess), or sport. An occasion where some activity is participated in excessively or to a high level of achievement. The French educator and historian Pierre de Coubertin, regarded as the founder of the first international Olympic Games in modern history which were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896 – the Games of the I Olympiad – died on this day in 1937.

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