Paralympiad
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An occurrence of the Paralympic Games.
"Teams from many nations as far apart as Canada, Portugal and Pakistan, were entered in the sports festival held at Stoke Mandeville, England, this summer. […] Perhaps at this time, when the bloody wars of this century are in the forefront of our minds, the most significant aspect of the Paralympiad is the spirit of comradely sportsmanship which was shared by all entrants."
- 2 A period of four years between occurrences of the Paralympic Games. rare
"The Games of the VI Paralympiad attracted over a million spectators."
- 3 Usually preceded by a descriptive word: a competition or series of competitions for disabled participants involving sports or other activities. broadly
"Affiliated programs [to the Third Paralympic Congress] also will include an International Trade and Economic Initiative for international government and business leaders; an Abilities Expo, featuring exhibits of assistive technology and services; and the Cultural Paralympiad, a celebration of the work of internationally acclaimed disabled artists."
Example
More examples"Teams from many nations as far apart as Canada, Portugal and Pakistan, were entered in the sports festival held at Stoke Mandeville, England, this summer. […] Perhaps at this time, when the bloody wars of this century are in the forefront of our minds, the most significant aspect of the Paralympiad is the spirit of comradely sportsmanship which was shared by all entrants."
Etymology
Blend of Paralympic + Olympiad, or from para- (prefix referring to disability sport) + Olympiad.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.