paralympic

paralympic — adjective

1. relating to the Paralympics — a major international sporting event for athletes

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

relating to the Paralympics — a major international sporting event for athletes with disabilities, held every four years in the same host city as the Olympic Games.

Example

Nadia broke the world record in the paralympic 100-metre race.

attributive before a sport event noun: paralympic + race

The paralympic opening ceremony filled the national stadium with eighty thousand cheering fans.

attributive before an event noun: paralympic + ceremony

Common collocations
  • paralympic games
  • paralympic athletes
  • paralympic team
  • paralympic sports
  • paralympic movement
  • paralympic torch
  • paralympic committee
  • paralympic flag
  • paralympic medal

Grammar Patterns

paralympic + noun (athletes / games / team / event)

Usage Note

Only used before a noun (attributive position). You cannot say 'The competition was paralympic'; instead say 'It was a paralympic competition.' The word is usually capitalised (Paralympic) because it comes from the proper noun Paralympics.

Common Mistakes

He is a Paralympic.
He is a Paralympic athlete.' or 'He is a Paralympian.
Paralympic is an adjective, not a noun; use Paralympian for a person.
The Paralympic is held every four years.
The Paralympics are held every four years.
Paralympic is the adjective; Paralympics is the noun for the event.

Word family

  • Paralympics
    nounB1
  • Paralympian
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

EnglishGreekEnglish

The word paralympic comes from Paralympics, itself formed in the 1950s from a blend of 'paraplegic' (later reinterpreted as 'parallel') and 'Olympics', reflecting the idea that the Games run parallel to the Olympic Games and that they were first organised for athletes with spinal cord injuries.