Champion

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈt͡ʃæm.pi.ən/

Definitions

1. A person or team that wins a contest or competition ; someone who advocates or defends a particular idea or cause ; to actively support or fight on behalf of a cause or person
2. An individual or group recognized as best in an event or competition ; a defender who promotes or stands up for a principle or group ; the act of endorsing or championing an issue by effort or advocacy
3. The victor who finishes first in a challenge or game ; one who publicly supports or champions a specific cause or interest ; to take up or argue in favor of a person, idea, or cause

Etymology: The most striking twist is that "champion" began as a word for a place. Its ancestor is Latin "campus," meaning a field or open plain, which passed into the Germanic languages as "kamp," a battlefield. Because fights were settled on open ground, a Germanic fighter became a "kampijo," a combatant, and that word travelled through Medieval Latin as "campio," a man who fought a duel on someone's behalf. Old French took the word as "champion," and it reached Middle English as "champioun," still meaning a warrior who fought in single combat. Only later did the sense widen to a person who wins or defends a cause, and then to the winner of a contest. The word therefore kept its martial core: a champion was once someone who stepped onto the field in place of another.

Synonyms: winner, victor, hero

Antonyms: loser, defeated