marathon

Meanings

1. A 42.195-kilometre (26-mile-385-yard) road race.
2. Any extended or sustained activity.

1. To run a marathon.
2. To watch or read a large number of instalments of (a film, book, TV series, etc.) in one sitting.

1. A town in Attica, Greece, the site of the victory in 490 BC of heavily outnumbered Athenians against Persians.
2. A place name elsewhere in the world:
3. A rural town in the Shire of Flinders, northern Queensland, Australia.
4. A town in Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada.
5. A number of places in the United States:
6. A city in the Florida Keys, Monroe County, Florida.
7. A minor city in Buena Vista County, Iowa.
8. A township in Lapeer County, Michigan.
9. A town and village therein, in Cortland County, New York.
10. An unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Clermont County, Ohio.
11. A census-designated place in Brewster County, Texas.
12. A town in Marathon County, Wisconsin.

1. Former name of Snickers (“chocolate bar brand”).

Etymology

From French marathon, coined in 1894 by linguist Michel Bréal for the first modern time Olympic Games after Ancient Greek Μαραθών (Marathṓn), a town northeast of Athens. Phidippides the Greek ran the distance from Marathon to Athens to deliver a message regarding the Battle of Marathon. The modern sport of marathon running is based on a run approximately the same distance. The toponym itself comes from μάραθον (márathon, “fennel”) and refers to the prevalence of the plant in the area.