# Olympic games, Olympics



## Outsider

How do you say this in your language, and what is the literal meaning and the origin of the two terms?

In Portuguese:

Olympic games - _Jogos Olímpicos_
Olympics - _Olimpíadas_​Borrowed from Greek, via other European laguages.

Thanks in advance for all replies.


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## anikka

In Latvian - Olimpiskās spēles; olimpiāde
I believe the origin is the same


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## Angel.Aura

In *Italian*:
Olympic games - *Giochi Olimpici*
Olympics - *Olimpiadi*​Same origin:
Borrowed from Greek, via other European laguages.


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## ErOtto

Outsider said:


> How do you say this in your language, and what is the literal meaning and the origin of the two terms?


 
As you surely know 

in Spanish:

Juegos Olímpicos
Olimpiada


in German:

Olympische Spiele
Olympiade

Origin? Probably borrowed from Greek as other pointed before. 

Re
Er


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## valo__fan

In Turkish:
Olimpic games-Olimpiyat oyunları
Olimpics-Olimpiyatlar


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## Whodunit

ErOtto said:


> in German:
> 
> Olympische Spiele



Instead of "Olympische Spiele", many people also refer to them as "Olympia". The origin is of course Ancient Greek.


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## DearPrudence

French:
*the Olympic Games: les Jeux Olympiques (ou les JO)
Olympics: **les olympiades*

Dictionary says it comes from Latin, coming from Greek...*
*


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## sokol

Whodunit said:


> Instead of "Olympische Spiele", many people also refer to them as "Olympia". (...)



I second that; "Olympia" is what is used most of the times, and even though "Olympische Spiele" and "Olympiade" also are used they seem to be restricted to rather formal occasions.
We even say (at least here in Austria, colloquial): "Schaust du Olympia?" = "Do you watch Olympia?"


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## madshov

In Danish: _De oplympiske lege_ or _Olympiaden_, most often just abbreviated to OL.


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## Nizo

In *Esperanto*:

Olympic games = _Olimpiaj ludoj_
Olympics = _Olimpikoj_

The interval of four years between meetings is called _olimpiado_ (an olympiad).

Origins are the same as for other languages.


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## Outsider

I guess all languages spoken in or very near Europe must have similar names originating in Greek via Latin. It would be especially interesting to know what the Olympic games are called in languages from farther away.


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## cherine

Well, just on the other side from the Olymps, the Arabic language uses exactly the same words, with the difference that we pronounce the "p" as "b" because there's no "p" in Arabic.
So, in Arabic:
Olympic games - الألعاب الأولمبية (al-al'áb al-ulimbiyya)
Olympics - الأولمبياد (al-ulimbyád)​The word al'áb means games. And we generally say dawrat al-al'áb al-ulimbiyya= The Olympic games cycle (referring to the fact that it happens every 4 years).​


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## Kanes

Olimpiiski igri - Olimpic games
Olimpiada - Olimpics

Oh, its Bulgarian!


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## Setwale_Charm

Russian: Олипийские игры, Олимпиада...


Estonian: olümpiamängud


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## sokol

Outsider said:


> (...) It would be especially interesting to know what the Olympic games are called in languages from farther away.



Yes it would, but I guess even in exotic languages it is mostly the word from Greek origin.
Some languages substitute words of foreign origin with loan translations, and these languages also could be interesting in this respect - however, in Slovenian (where this is very common) also the Greek words are used:

Olimpijske igre = Olympic games
Olimpijada = Olympics
Olimpija = Olympia (this also is used, and I think it could mean both the Olympic games and Olympics, but of that I am not sure; some clubs actually have the element "Olympia" in their name, e. g. the football = soccer club Olimpija Ljubljana)


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## Kanes

Olimpic is not a greek loan, it is just the name of the place. Olimpiiski = olimpian, as in Olimp, the peak.


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## mcibor

In Polish

Olympic games: Igrzyska Olimpijskie
Olympics: Olimpiada

Word Igrzyska I think comes from Roman


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## Encolpius

*Hungarian*

olimpiai játékok (where játékok means games)

olimpia (we do not use no -ade suffixe, the same as German)


*Czech*: 

olympijské hry (where hry means games)

olympiáda (they use -ada suffix)


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## sakvaka

*Finnish*:

Olympic games - _olympiakisat _("olympic races")
Olympics - _olympialaiset

_This word is a famous example of Finnish vowel harmony. It is claimed that when you ask a Finn to pronounce "olympialaiset", s/he'll most likely pronounce it as "olumpialaiset", because o and y don't usually appear in the same word.


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## apmoy70

In Greek:
Ολυμπιακοί αγώνες
olimbia'ci a'ɣones
Ἀγών (a'ɣōn _m._; αγώνας-a'ɣonas _m._ in modern Greek)-->contest, struggle.


			
				Kanes said:
			
		

> Olimpic is not a greek loan, it is just the name of the place. Olimpiiski = olimpian, as in Olimp, the peak


Yes, that is true, the games were named after Ὀλυμπία (Olym'pia, _f._), the place in W. Peloponnese where ancient Greeks gathered to compete in games dedicated to Olympic Zeus. Ὁλυμπιάς (Olympi'as, _f._; Ολυμπιάδα-Olimpi'aða in modern Greek, _f._) marked the 4-year period between the games.
Olympus, Olympia are names of obscure etymology (some philologists suggest they're remnants of Pelasgic toponyms).

[ɣ] is a voiced velar fricative
[c] is a voiceless palatal plosive
[ð] is a voiced dental non-sibilant fricative


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## RaLo18

Hebrew:
משחקים אולימפיים (_miskhakim 'olimpim_) - Olympic games
אולימפיאדה (_'olimpiyada_) - Olympics


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## OneStroke

Chinese:
奧林匹克運動會 - Aolinpike Yundonghui - Olympic games
We don't have an equivalent for 'olympics' but this is the short form: 奧運會 - Aoyunhui


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