Pheidippides

or Phi·dip·pi·des

[ fahy-dip-i-deez ]

noun

1. the Athenian runner who secured aid from Sparta in the struggle between the Athenians and the Persians 490 b.c.

Pheidippides

/ faɪˈdɪpɪˌdiːz /

noun

1. Pheidippides5th century bc5th century bcMAthenianSPORT AND GAMES: athlete 5th century bc . Athenian athlete, who ran to Sparta to seek help against the Persians before the Battle of Marathon (490 bc )

Example Sentences

Ask most people about the origins of the marathon—a race covering 26.2 miles of terrain—and you will likely hear about how Pheidippides, an ancient Greek courier, ran 26 miles from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory in a decisive battle over the Persians—then died on the spot.

From National Geographic

What is arguably its most iconic event, the marathon, was born from a political event, when the messenger Pheidippides, according to legend, ran from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Greeks had won the battle there over the Persians.

From Washington Post

In “The Clouds,” playwright Aristophanes depicts the philosopher in the comic play as teaching Pheidippides how to build up arguments that justify him striking and assaulting his father.

From Washington Post

The race followed the legendary route that Pheidippides, a military runner, ran about 2,500 years ago from the Greek town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Greeks had defeated the invading Persian army.

From Washington Post

The marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers corresponds to the legend of how far the ancient Greek messenger Pheidippides traveled between Marathon and Athens to announce victory over the Persians in 490 B.C.

From Scientific American