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Where does the word "marathon" come from? It comes from Greek Marathon, and was adopted directly into English (1896).
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Where does the word "marathon" come from? It comes from Greek Marathon, and was adopted directly into English (1896).
Marathon’s story begins in Greek: Marathon meant “a town near Athens.” The site of a famous battle; legend says a runner raced from there to Athens to announce victory. It reached English by 1896 as marathon. Adopted for the long-distance race at the first modern Olympics. Today, marathon means a long-distance running race of just over 26 miles, or any long, demanding event.
- Stage 1 · Greek · c. 490 BC Marathon "a town near Athens", the site of a famous battle; legend says a runner raced from there to Athens to announce victory.
- Stage 2 · English · 1896 marathon "a long-distance running race", adopted for the long-distance race at the first modern Olympics.