olympian means of or relating to Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece; or (Greek mythology) the Greek gods and goddesses who were believed to live there.
olympian is pronounced /əˈlɪm.pɪ.ən/.
Why “olympian” is a great word
Of majestic and aloof superiority, relating to the classical Greek gods of Mount Olympus. From Late Middle English Olympyan, from Latin Olympius ('of Olympus') and its etymon Ancient Greek Ὀλύμπιος (Olýmpios, 'of or pertaining to Mount Olympus'), from Ὄλυμπος (Ólympos, 'Mount Olympus', from a Pre-Greek substrate) + the adjectival suffix -ιος (-ios). Combined with the English suffix -an. First attested in English 1585–95. Unlike 'titanic,' which suggests earth-shaking, primal force, or 'mundane,' which denotes the common clay of earthly life, Olympian describes a celestial and ordered remove. It is the chill clarity of a peak above the clouds, the unsettling serenity of a marble statue, and the profound indifference in the gaze of a being for whom human centuries are but fleeting moods—a perfected detachment that is both our aspiration and our indictment.
Etymology
From Late Middle English Olympyan, from Latin Olympius (“of or relating to Mount Olympus”) and its etymon Ancient Greek Ὀλῠ́μπῐος (Olŭ́mpĭos, “of or relating to Mount Olympus; living on Mount Olympus; Olympian”) + English -an (suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘of or pertaining to’, or forming agent nouns). Ὀλῠ́μπῐος (Olŭ́mpĭos) is derived from Ὄλῠμπος (Ólŭmpos, “Mount Olympus”) (from Pre-Greek) + -ῐος (-ĭos, suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘of or pertaining to’).
adj
- Of or relating to Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece; or (Greek mythology) the Greek gods and goddesses who were believed to live there.
- Resembling a Greek deity in some way.; Celestial, heavenly; also, godlike.
- Resembling a Greek deity in some way.; Acting in a remote and superior manner; aloof.
- Of or relating to the town of Olympia in Elis, Greece; Olympic.
- Of or relating to the ancient Olympic Games held at Olympia; Olympic.
- Of or relating to the modern Olympic Games; Olympic.
noun
- Any of the 12 principal gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Demeter, and Hades); (specifically) preceded by the: Zeus, the supreme ruler of the Greek deities.
- In the Platonist theology of Plethon, a god in one group of supercelestial gods, the other group of such gods being the Tartareans or Titans.
- A person with superior talents or towering achievements.
- An inhabitant of the city of Olympia, the capital of Washington, United States.
- A sportsperson competing in the ancient Olympic Games.
- A sportsperson competing in the modern Olympic Games.
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