Association of British Scrabble Players

Culture > Sport > Athletics


Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.


athleta an athlete > ATHLETAS.
athlete one skilled in feats of physical strength and agility.
athletic having the qualities of an athlete.
athletics athletic sports.
changeover the handing over of the baton in a relay race.
cooldown low activity exercise following high activity exercise.
countback a system of deciding the winner of a tied competition by comparing earlier points or scores.
crossbar the bar that must be cleared in the high jump or pole vault events.
decathlete an athlete who competes in the decathlon.
decathlon an athletic contest comprising ten events.
discobolos a discus thrower. [This word appears to lack its own plural in CSW, which should be DISCOBOLOI* or at worst DISCOBOLOSES*, so it borrows DISCOBOLI from DISCOBOLUS].
discobolus a discus thrower > DISCOBOLI or DISCOBOLUSES.
discus a heavy thick-centred disc or plate thrown in ancient and modern athletic sports > DISCUSES or DISCI.
duathlon a running and cycling contest.
enneathlon an athletic contest comprsing nine events > ENNEATHLONS.
fartlek a training technique, used esp. among runners, consisting of bursts of intense effort alternating with less strenuous activity. [Swedish fart, speed + lek, play].
footrace a race on foot.
heptathlete a competitor in a HEPTATHLON.
heptathlon an athletic competition with seven events.
enneathlon an athletic contest comprising six events > HEXATHLONS.
hurdle to jump over.
ironman a man who takes part in extended triathlons.
ironwoman a woman who takes part in extended triathlons.
javelin an athletic event that involves throwing a spear.
jock (US) an athlete.
jog to run at a slow steady pace.
jogger one that jogs.
jogging the practice of running at a slow, steady pace > JOGGINGS.
juco an athlete at junior college.
lampadedromy a foot race with lighted torches, especially a relay race in which torch is passed on.
lampadist one who gained the prize in a LAMPADEDROMY.
letterman (US) an athlete who has earned a letter in a school sport.
longjump an athletic event; (verb) to take part in the longjump > LONGJUMPS. N.B. no HIGHJUMP*.
marathon a long-distance race of 26 miles 385 yards.
marathoner a runner who takes part in a MARATHON.
master a male athlete aged over 40.
miler an athlete who runs the mile.
nonathlete one who is not an athlete.
nonathletic not athletic.
olympics an international sporting competition.
orienteer to take part in ORIENTEERING.
orienteering a cross-country race in which each participant uses a map and compass to navigate between checkpoints along an unfamiliar course.
outjump to surpass in jumping.
outpace to run faster than.
outrace to surpass in racing.
outrun to run faster than.
outsprint to sprint faster than.
outstrip to go faster than; to outrun.
overtrain to train to excess.
pancratian pancratic; athletic.
pancratic excelling all round in athletics or accomplishments.
pancratist an athlete; a gymnast > PANCRATISTS.
paralympic relating to the PARALYMPICS, an Olypic games for sportspeople with physical disabilities.
paralympics an Olympic games for sportspeople with physical disabilities.
parkour the sport of running in urban areas performing gymnastics on manmade objects.
pentathlete one who takes part in a PENTATHLON.
pentathlon an athletic contest involving participation by each contestant in five different events.
pentathlum a pentathlon > PENTATHLUMS.
postrace after a race.
pothunting going round to athletic meetings to win trophies > POTHUNTINGS.
proette a female professional athlete.
racewalk to race by walking fast rather than running.
racewalker one who engages in RACEWALKING.
racewalking the competitive sport of racing at a fast walk while maintaining continuous foot contact with the ground and keeping the supporting leg straight.
roadwork running on roads as a method of training for marathon runners, boxers, etc.
rubdown a massage after exercise.
runway the approach strip for the LONGJUMP.
scissors a style of high jump.
semipro (one who is) partially professional > SEMIPROS.
shamateur an amateur who is actually paid for his or her performance.
sprint to run at top speed.
sprinter one that sprints.
steeplechase a race over a course with obstacles to be jumped; (verb) to take part in such a race.
superathlete a very good athlete.
superjock a very good athlete.
tailwind a wind from the rear.
tetrathlon a four-event sporting contest.
thinclad a runner on a track team.
traceur a participant in PARKOUR, the sport of running in urban areas performing gymnastics on manmade objects.
triathlete one who takes part in a TRIATHLON.
triathlon a sporting contest consisting of three events held without a break between each, usu swimming, cycling and running.
ultramarathon a footrace longer than a MARATHON.
unathletic not athletic.
unpaced not paced e.g. of a racer.
untimed not timed.
vaulter one who does the pole-vault.
walkathon a marathon walking event.
warmup a sportsman's pre-training routine.
workout a training session.