Origin and history of Olympus

"of or belonging to Olympus," the mountain in Thessaly fabled to be the seat of the gods, c. 1600; see Olympus + -ian. The noun meaning "one of the twelve greater god of ancient Greece" is attested from 1843, from Late Latin Olympianus, from Greek Olympios "pertaining to Olympus." The sense of "one who competes in the (modern) Olympic Games" is from 1976 (see Olympic).

c. 1600, "of or in reference to Mount Olympos," the mountain in Thessaly, believed to be the home of the greater Greek gods. Also in reference to to Olympia (khōra), a town or district in Elis in ancient Greece with a famous temple of Zeus, where athletic contests in honor of Olympian Zeus were held 776 B.C.E. and every four years thereafter. It is from Greek Olympikos, from Olympos, which in both places is of unknown origin (see Olympus). The modern Olympic games are a revival, begun in 1896. Olympics, short for Olympic games, is from 1630s.