Olympiad
/ˌɒl.ɪmˈpɪ.æd/noun
A period of four years between successive celebrations of the ancient Olympic Games, or a modern edition of the Olympic Games.
Did you know?Ancient historians used Olympiads as a chronological dating system, counting years from the first recorded Olympic Games in 776 BCE.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ὀλυμπιάς (Olympiás)
“A four-year period associated with the Olympic Games”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ὀλύμπια (Olýmpia)
“The Olympic Games, held at Olympia”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ὄλυμπος (Ólympos)
“Olympus, the mountain associated with the gods; the deeper origin of the name is uncertain and possibly pre-Greek”
2nd Century BCE
Latin
Olympias
“A four-year chronological period reckoned from the Olympic Games”
16th Century
English
Olympiad
“A period of four years, especially in classical historical writing”
Modern English
English
Olympiad
“A four-year Olympic cycle or an edition of the Olympic Games”