champion

B1 Topic:People & Society

US /ˈt͡ʃæmpjən/ UK /ˈt͡ʃæm.pi.ən/ See IPA manual

Freq #3008

Meanings

1

noun
A person or team that wins a competition.

The defending champion is expected to win again.
2

noun
Someone who strongly supports and fights for a cause.

She was a champion of women's rights.
3

adj
Having won first place in a competition.

They own a champion show dog.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · someone who strongly... paladin

3 adj · having won first place in a... prizewinning

Word family

Forms championedchampioningchampions

Derived forms champion-electchampion-in-chiefchampionerchampionesschampionizechampionlesschampionlikechumpioncochampione-championnonchampionvice-champion

Related forms championship

Appears in

Tongue twisters (1)

See all

The Chimpanzee Champion
A cheap, changeable, child-like chimpanzee champion playing checkers with Charles.

The repeated ch starts use /tʃ/. Begin with short groups such as cheap, changeable and chimpanzee champion, then connect the whole sentence.

Simplified etymology

Champion entered Middle English from medieval Latin campio, meaning “fighter” or “gladiator.” Campio derives from Latin campus, “field” or “place of combat,” so a champion originally meant a fighting man rather than specifically the holder of a title.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em-der. Proto-Indo-European *kh₂ém-po-s Proto-Italic *kampos Latin campusbor. Frankish *kamp Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Germanic *-janą Frankish *-jan Frankish *kampijan Proto-Germanic *-jô Frankish *-jō Frankish *kampijōbor. Medieval Latin campiō Old French champiunbor. Middle English champioun English champion 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 b…

*kh₂em- Proto-Indo-European champioun Middle English champion Old French campio la-med *kampijō frk campus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society

External links

# champion

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈt͡ʃæmpjən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈt͡ʃæm.pi.ən/
**Frequency rank:** 3008

## Meanings
1. A person or team that wins a competition.
2. Someone who strongly supports and fights for a cause.
3. Having won first place in a competition.

## Examples
- The defending champion is expected to win again.
- She was a champion of women's rights.
- They own a champion show dog.

## Derived Forms
- champion-elect
- champion-in-chief
- championer
- championess
- championize
- championless
- championlike
- chumpion
- cochampion
- e-champion
- nonchampion
- vice-champion

## Related Forms
- championship

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *kh₂em-
- Root: champioun
- Root: champion
- Root: campio
- Root: *kampijō
- Root: campus

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em-der. Proto-Indo-European *kh₂ém-po-s Proto-Italic *kampos Latin campusbor. Frankish *kamp Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Germanic *-janą Frankish *-jan Frankish *kampijan Proto-Germanic *-jô Frankish *-jō Frankish *kampijōbor. Medieval Latin campiō Old French champiunbor. Middle English champioun English champion 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 b…

## AI Etymology
champion is an adjective and noun. Historical forms in the chain include *kh₂em- (Proto-Indo-European), champioun (Middle English), champion (Old French), campio (Medieval Latin), *kampijō (frk), *kampijō (Proto-West Germanic), and campus (Latin). Current senses include a person or team that wins a competition, someone who strongly supports and fights for a cause, and having won first place in a competition. Derived forms include champion-elect, champion-in-chief, championer, championess, and championize. Related words include championship.

## Topics
- People & Society

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