champion
/ˈt͡ʃæm.pi.ən/ noun, adjective, verb, proper noun
Forms champions championing championed
- noun An ongoing winner in a game or contest. “The defending champion is expected to defeat his challenger.”
- noun Someone who is chosen to represent a group of people in a contest. “Barcelona is eligible to play in FIFA Club World Cup as the champion of Europe.”
- noun Someone who fights for a cause or status. “Emmeline Pankhurst was a champion of women's suffrage.”
- noun Someone who fights on another's behalf. “champion of the poor”
- noun (botany) A particularly notable member of a plant species, such as one of great size.
- adjective (attributive) Acting as a champion; having defeated all one's competitors. “a champion bodybuilder”
- adjective (attributive) Excellent; beyond compare.
- adjective (predicative, Ireland, UK, dialect) Excellent; brilliant; superb; deserving of high praise. “"That rollercoaster was champion," laughed Vinny.”
- verb (transitive) To promote, advocate, or act as a champion for (a cause, etc.).
- verb (obsolete, transitive) To challenge.
- proper noun A surname.
- proper noun A village in Vulcan County, Alberta, Canada.
- proper noun A ghost town in California.
- proper noun A township and unincorporated community therein, in Marquette County, Michigan.
- proper noun A township in Wilkin County, Minnesota.
- proper noun A census-designated place in Chase County, Nebraska.
- proper noun A town and hamlet in Jefferson County, New York.
- proper noun A township in Trumbull County, Ohio.
Synonyms
paladin knight champ title-holder fighter hero supporter protagonist admirer booster friend ace adept sensation maven mavin virtuoso genius hotshot star superstar whiz whizz wizard wiz defend prizewinning
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 *kampijan (“to battle, to campaign”), itself a derivative of *kamp (“battlefield, battle”), ultimately a borrowing in West-Germanic from Latin campus (“a field, a plain, a place of action”).
Cognate with Old English cæmpa, cempa (“soldier, warrior, champion”), Old High German kempfeo, kempfo (“fighter, warrior, champion”), whence archaic German Kempfe (“fighter”).
* As an English surname of Norman origin, as well as French, from the noun champion.
* Also as an English surname of Norman origin, from the placename Champagne.
Webster’s 1913
- noun One who engages in any contest; esp. one who in ancient times contended in single combat in behalf of another's honor or rights; or one who acts or speaks in behalf of a person or a cause; a defender; an advocate; a hero.
- noun One who by defeating all rivals, has obtained an acknowledged supremacy in any branch of athetics or game of skill, and is ready to contend with any rival; as, the champion of England.
- verb To furnish with a champion; to attend or defend as champion; to support or maintain; to protect.
Etymology [F. champion, fr. LL.campio, of German origin; cf. OHG. chempho, chemphio, fighter, champf, G. kampf, contest; perh. influenced by L. campus field, taken in the sense of "field of battle."]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “champion”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details