A boxing champion is, of course, the best in his class, but the word has a more honorable history than its use in sports.
Derived from the Latin word campus, which refers to an open field where battles were fought, the word champion passed into French before being adopted into English in the thirteenth century.
Its meaning was “one who fights on behalf of another” or “one who defends a person or a cause.”
The victors in a competition are called “champions”.
Related Posts
-
What Does the Term “A1 Condition” Mean and Where Did the Term Come From?
In their early days, Lloyd's of London used an "A list" to classify sailing ships for insurance purposes. Only vessels meeting strict specifications would go to the top of that list, where they…
-
What Does the Term “Alma Mater” Mean and Where Did the Term Come From?
It all starts in kindergarten, a German concept meaning "children's garden," where the atmosphere for learning should be as pleasant for a child as being in a garden. School follows the same philosophy…
-
What Does the Term “Straw Boss” Mean and Where Did the Term For Work Supervisor Come From?
A straw boss is usually a supervisor or foreman of menial work, and the label comes from the farm. The "big boss" was in charge of the entire threshing crew, whose main task…
-
Where Did the Term “Noon Hour” Come From and What Did the Term For Midday Mean Originally?
The "noon hour" has shifted several times throughout history, and at one time, when Christians prayed twice a day, it meant both midday and midnight. In the original Old English the noon hour…
-
Where does the term “salary” come from and What does the word salary mean?
The ancients knew that of all the things required for the support of human life salt was the most essential. The Romans called this element sal, and whenever the Roman soldier was sent…
-
Where does the word “sundowner” come from and What does the term sundowner mean?
The word "sundown" itself is presumed to be a contraction of "sun-godown" or perhaps the archaic "sun-gate-down," and a sundowner is either a person who times a certain action relative to sundown, or…
