Among the Greeks a sound body was considered to be equally as important as a sound mind.
Thus physical training was as much a part of the general education of boys and young men as was mental training.
Buildings were set aside for the purpose and officials were especially selected for their fitness in supervising all athletic activities.
But that their charges might receive the best instruction for the proper development of their bodies, as well as have the greatest freedom of movement when exercising, all the young athletes were naked while undergoing this training. “Naked,” in Greek, is gym-nos; “to train naked” is gymnazo.
Thus, in its literal sense, a gymnast is one who is naked while exercising, and a gymnasium, from the Greek gynmasion, is the place where such exercises are held.
The terms lost those literal senses, however, before being adopted into our language.
Related Posts
-
What Does the Word “Gymnasium” Mean in Greek and How Did the Word “Stadium” Originate?
The word gymnasium is from the Greek word gymnos, which means "nude." Thus, gymnasium literally means "a school for naked exercise." The first Olympic event for the nude male athletes, or gymnasts, was…
-
How Did “Bleachers” In a Gymnasium Get Their Name, What Does it Mean, and Where Did it Originate?
Bleachers were used in a pinch as uncovered overflow seating from the grandstand before they became common at baseball and football games. The first recorded printed reference was in the Chicago Tribune on…
-
What does the word “gauntlet” mean and Where does the word gauntlet come from?
During the Thirty Years' War, which lasted from 1618 to 1648, the English forces observed a form of disciplinary punishment used among their German allies. It looked highly effective, so it was not…
-
What does the word incubus (succubus) mean and Where does the word “incubus” come from?
In the Middle Ages any woman who gave birth to a witch or sorceress was supposed to have been visited, in her sleep, by a male demon or evil spirit. The name given…
-
Where does the word “Toilet” come from and What does the word Toilet mean in French?
The word "toilet" has had a rather curious development in the little more than four hundred years it has been in the language. Its origin was the French toilette, the diminutive of wile,…
-
What Does the Word “Clock” Mean in French and Where Did the Word For a Large Timepiece Come From?
Like cloche in French, the word clock literally means bell. When the large mechanical clock was invented in the fourteenth century it didn't tell time with a face and hands, but rather by…
