marathon (English)
Where does "marathon" come from?
The English word 'marathon' comes from French 'marathon'[1], which was a learned borrowing from the Ancient Greek proper noun 'Marathṓn'[2]. The Ancient Greek town name originated from 'márathon' meaning 'fennel' combined with the suffix '-ṓn', reflecting the abundance of fennel plants in that area[3]. The term was coined in 1894 by linguist Michel Bréal for the first modern Olympic Games, commemorating the legendary run of the Greek messenger Phidippides from Marathon to Athens[1]. Over time, the meaning expanded from the long-distance race to describe any extended or sustained activity.
Open questions
- The ancient Greek word for fennel, márathon, is likely a Pre-Greek loanword of foreign origin. [4]
Full etymology tree
- marathon (English), 'A 42.195-kilometre (26-mile-385-yard) road race.'
- borrowed marathon (French), 'marathon'
- derived Μαραθών (Marathṓn) (Ancient Greek), 'Marathon, Attica, Greece'
- compound μάραθον (márathon) (Ancient Greek), 'fennel'
- borrowed (Pre-Greek)
- suffix -ών (-ṓn) (Ancient Greek), 'forms words for places'
- compound μάραθον (márathon) (Ancient Greek), 'fennel'
- derived Μαραθών (Marathṓn) (Ancient Greek), 'Marathon, Attica, Greece'
- borrowed marathon (French), 'marathon'
Ancestors
- marathon (French)
- Μαραθών (Ancient Greek)
Descendants and derived words
- 馬拉松 (Chinese)
- 馬拉松 (Chinese)
- 馬拉松 (Chinese)
- 马拉松 (Chinese)
- -athon (English)
- half marathon (English)
- marathoner (English)
- marathonic (English)
- marathonist (English)
- marathonlike (English)
- megamarathon (English)
- minimarathon (English)
Sources
- marathon (English) - Wiktionary
- marathon (French) - Wiktionary
- Μαραθών (Marathṓn) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
- μάραθον (márathon) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
- 𐀔𐀨𐀶𐀺 (Mycenaean Greek) - Wiktionary
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris