pankration
/pænˈkɹeɪ.ti.ɒn/
pankration means an Ancient Greek martial art combining aspects of boxing and wrestling, introduced in the Greek Olympic games in 648 BC. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
pankration is pronounced /pænˈkɹeɪ.ti.ɒn/.
Why “pankration” is a great word
PANKRATION — [Noun] An ancient Greek martial art combining the strikes of boxing with the grapples of wrestling, contested as an Olympic event from 648 BC. From Ancient Greek παγκράτιον (pankrátion, 'all powers'), from πᾶν (pan, 'all') + κράτος (kratos, 'power, strength'). First known use in English c. 1603. Unlike pancratium (its Latinized doublet, which drifted to denote a flower) or pammachion (a term for 'all-out battle' emphasizing chaos over control), pankration was the brutal application of a unified, singular force. It was the crack of a knuckle against a temple, the desperate gasp for air within a chokehold, and the final, conceding tap of a hand upon an opponent's dusty shoulder—the raw synthesis of human power, where victory was the only philosophy.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek παγκράτιον (pankrátion, “all powers”). Doublet of pancratium.
noun
- An Ancient Greek martial art combining aspects of boxing and wrestling, introduced in the Greek Olympic games in 648 BC.