Marathon

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈmærəθən/
• US IPA: /ˈmærəˌθɑn/, /ˈmÉ›rəˌθɑn/
• Hyphenation: mar + a + thon

Origin

French marathon, coined in 1894 by linguist Michel Bréal for the first modern time Olympic Games after Greek Μαραθών, a town northeast of Athens. Phidippides_(Marathon_runner) the Greek ran the distance from Marathon to Athens to deliver a message regarding the . The modern sport of marathon running is based on a run approximately the same distance. The toponym itself comes from μάραθον ("fennel") and refers to the prevalence of the plant in the area.

"Μα^ρα^θών". A Greek-English Lexicon. 1940. Henry George Liddell and Robert Scott. 12 September 2013, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=*maraqw/n.

Full definition of marathon

Noun

1. A 42.195 kilometre (26 mile 385 yard) road race.
2. (figuratively, by extension) Any extended or sustained activity.He had a cleaning marathon the night before his girlfriend came over.

Derived terms

• marathoner
• half marathon
• ultramarathon