Olympic Games
Preserved but no longer current.
The greatest of the four sacred festivals of the ancient Greeks, held at Olympia (q.v.) every fourth year, in the month of July. The festival began with sacrifices and included racing, wrestling, and all kinds of contests, ending on the fifth day with pro- cessions, sacrifices, and banquets to the victors — who were garlanded with olive leaves.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Olympic Games” mean?
The greatest of the four sacred festivals of the ancient Greeks, held at Olympia (q.v.) every fourth year, in the month of July. The festival began with sacrifices and included racing, wrestling, and all kinds of contests, ending on the fifth day with pro- cessions, sacrifices, and banquets to the victors — who were garlanded with olive leaves.
Is “Olympic Games” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.