SportsAugust 28, 2026

heptathlete

HEP-tath-leet

Definition

An athlete who competes in a heptathlon, a track and field contest consisting of seven different events.

Etymology

Derived from the Greek words 'hepta' (seven) and 'athlos' (contest), referring to the multi-sport nature of the event.

In the news

The article mentions Haaland's mother was an elite heptathlete to illustrate his athletic family background and the environment in which he developed his professional habits.

Inside the freshly-shaved head of Erling Haaland: ‘His strength is not seeing everything in black or white’

Read the full article ↗

The New York Times

Related words

Learn words like this every day

Meet new words every morning.

Newspoken pulls carefully chosen words from the day’s news — with clear definitions, context, and light review that makes them stick. Get it on your phone.