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Origin and history of champion

champion(n.)

early 13c., "doughty fighting man, valorous combatant," also (c. 1300) "one who fights on behalf of another or others, one who undertakes to defend a cause," from Old French champion "combatant, champion in single combat" (12c.), from Late Latin campionem (nominative campio) "gladiator, fighter, combatant in the field," from Latin campus "field (of combat);" see campus.

The word had been borrowed earlier by Old English as cempa. The sporting sense in reference to "first-place performer, one who has demonstrated superiority to all others in some matter decided by public contest or competition" is recorded from 1730.

champion(v.)

"to fight for, defend, protect, maintain or support by contest," 1820 (Scott) in a literal sense, from champion (n.). The figurative use for, "maintain the cause of, advocate for" is by 1830. Earlier it meant "to challenge" (c. 1600). Related: Championed; championing.

also from 1820

Entries linking to champion

campus(n.)

"college grounds," 1774, from Latin campus "flat land, field," from Proto-Italic *kampo- "field," a word of uncertain origin. De Vaan finds cognates in Greek kampē "a bending, bow, curvature," etc., if the original sense of campus was "depression, curve" (see jamb), and concludes the source in PIE *kamp- "could well be a European substratum word from agricultural terminology." First used in college sense at Princeton.

champ(n.1)

1868, American English abbreviation of champion (n.).

championship(n.)

1812, "position of a champion," from champion (n.) + -ship. The meaning "competition to determine a champion" is recorded from 1893.

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    defend
    mid-13c., defenden, "to shield from attack, guard against assault or injury," from Old French defendre (12c.) "defend, resist," and directly from Latin defendere "ward off, protect, guard, allege in defense," from de "from, away" (see de-) + -fendere "to strike, hit, push," attes
    ace
    c. 1300, "one at dice," from Old French as "one at dice" (12c.), from Latin as "a unit, one, a whole, unity;" also the name of a small Roman coin (originally a rectangular bronze plaque weighing one pound, it eventually was reduced by depreciation to half an ounce; in imperial ti
    adept
    1690s, "completely skilled, well-versed," from Latin adeptus "having reached or attained," past participle of adipisci "to come up with, arrive at," figuratively "to attain to, acquire," from ad "to" (see ad-) + apisci "to grasp, attain" (related to aptus "fitted," from PIE root
    Albuquerque
    association with Portuguese hero Alfonso d'Albuquerque (1453-1515), the "Portuguese Mars," famed as a great conqueror and champion...
    paladin
    Extended sense of "a heroic champion" is by 1788....
    advocate
    Also in Middle English as "one who intercedes for another," and "protector, champion, patron."...
    lipogram
    If Youth, throughout all history, had had a champion to stand up for it; to show a doubting world that a child can think;...
    competition
    c. 1600, "action of seeking or endeavoring to gain what another is endeavoring to gain at the same time," from Late Latin competitionem (nominative competitio) "rivalry," in classical Latin "agreement," noun of action from past participle stem of competere (see compete). Meaning
    star
    "celestial body appearing as a luminous point," Middle English sterre, from Old English steorra "star," from Proto-Germanic *sternan- (source also of Old Saxon sterro, Old Frisian stera, Dutch ster, Old High German sterro, German Stern, Old Norse stjarna, Swedish stjerna, Danish
    hero
    late 14c., "man of superhuman strength or physical courage," from Old French heroe (14c., Modern French héros), from Latin heros (plural heroes) "hero, demi-god, illustrious man," from Greek hērōs (plural hērōes) "demi-god." This is of uncertain origin; according to an old theory

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