Criterium
/kraɪˈtɪəriəm/noun
A bicycle race in which riders complete many laps on a short course.
Did you know?Criterium is a modern borrowing from French, ultimately from Greek kriterion, meaning a means of judging or deciding, from krinein, “to separate, judge” — the same root behind words of discernment and crisis.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Gk
krínein
“to separate, decide, judge”
Ancient Greek
Gk
kritḗrion
“a means or standard for judging”
Late Latin
Lat
criterium
“a standard of judgment”
Modern French
Fr
critérium
“a test, standard, or bicycle race”
Modern English
Eng
criterium
“a bicycle race on a short circuit, usually with many laps”