champion

English Online Dictionary. What means champion‎? What does champion mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English champioun, from Old French champion, from Medieval Latin campio (“combatant in a duel, champion”), from Frankish *kampijō (“fighter”), from Proto-West Germanic *kampijō (“combat soldier”), a derivative of Proto-West Germanic *kampijan (“to battle, to campaign”), itself a derivative of Proto-West Germanic *kamp (“battlefield, battle”), ultimately a borrowing in West-Germanic from Latin campus (“a field, a plain, a place of action”).

Pronunciation

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃæmpiən/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃæmpjən/
• Rhymes: -æmpiən

Noun

champion (plural champions)

1. An ongoing winner in a game or contest.

2. Someone who is chosen to represent a group of people in a contest.

3. Someone who fights for a cause or status.

   Synonym: paladin
4. Someone who fights on another's behalf.

5. (botany) A particularly notable member of a plant species, such as one of great size.

Hyponyms

• championess

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

Adjective

champion (not comparable)

1. (attributive) Acting as a champion; having defeated all one's competitors.
2. (attributive) Excellent; beyond compare.
3. (predicative, Ireland, British, dialect) Excellent; brilliant; superb; deserving of high praise.

Related terms

• championship

Translations

Verb

champion (third-person singular simple present champions, present participle championing, simple past and past participle championed)

1. (transitive) To promote, advocate, or act as a champion for (a cause, etc.).
2. (obsolete, transitive) To challenge.

Derived terms

Translations

References

• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “champion”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.
• “champion”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “champion”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “champion”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French champion, from Medieval Latin or Late Latin campiōnem, campiōnem (“champion, fighter”), from Frankish *kampijō, from Proto-Germanic *kampijô, based on Latin campus (“level ground”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃɑ̃.pjɔ̃/

Noun

champion m (plural champions, feminine championne)

1. champion

Derived terms

• champion du monde
• championnat
• championner

Related terms

• champ

Descendants

• → Bulgarian: шампион (šampion)
• → Czech: šampión
• → Finnish: sampioni
• → Northern Kurdish: şampiyon
• → Luxembourgish: Champion
• → Macedonian: шампион (šampion)
• → Serbo-Croatian: шампион (šampion)
• → Slovak: šampión
• → Turkish: şampiyon

Further reading

• “champion”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle English

Noun

champion

1. Alternative form of champioun

Old French

Noun

champion

1. Alternative form of champiun