Victory

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈvɪk.tə.ɹi/

Definitions

1. A successful outcome in a competition, battle, or struggle where one side defeats or overcomes the other
2. An achievement marked by winning in contests, conflicts, or challenges where one party prevails over another
3. The result of succeeding in any rivalry, warfare, or conflict in which one entity emerges as the victor

Etymology: The Roman goddess Victoria was the personification of triumph, and the Latin noun "victoria" was built from "victor," meaning champion or conqueror. Its ancient root, reconstructed as "weyk-," meant "to overcome" or "to contain." The Latin word passed into Old French as "victorie," and English borrowed it in Middle English, where it could mean anything from a military conquest to a monument marking a defeat. The English form is a little different from its French cousin. English speakers analysed it as "victor" plus the suffix "-y," which forms abstract nouns for a state or quality, so the word was felt as a condition of having won. In Middle English it also displaced an older native word, "siȝe" or "sye," which carried a similar sense of success over an enemy. The word also appears in a surprising range of meanings in early English, including "salvation" and "redemption," reflecting its use in religious writing about spiritual struggle. The sense of winning a contest, which dominates today, is one strand among several.

Synonyms: triumph, win, conquest, success, achievement

Antonyms: defeat, loss, failure