competition
UK[ˌkɒmpəˈtɪʃn]US[ˌkɑːmpəˈtɪʃn]
n
An event in which people try to win something by being the best, fastest, etc.
n
The activity or situation of trying to be more successful than others.
n
The people or groups that are trying to achieve the same thing as you, often in business.
Morpheme Breakdown
com
pet
ition
com
together
pet
seek, strive
ition
noun suffix
Etymology
The word 'competition' originates from the Latin verb 'competere', which is a compound of 'com-' (together) and 'petere' (to seek, to strive). Its original sense was 'to strive together', implying a joint effort or a coming together with a common aim. Over time, particularly in Late Latin, the meaning shifted towards the idea of striving against others for a common goal, introducing the adversarial element. This evolved through French into English, where 'competition' now denotes the process or event of contending with rivals for supremacy or a prize, fully encapsulating the modern concept of rivalry.
Analysis
Structure: com (together) + pet (seek, strive) + ition (noun suffix)
- com: A Latin prefix meaning 'together', 'with', or 'jointly'. It assimilates to con-, col-, cor- before certain consonants.
- pet: A Latin root from the verb 'petere', meaning 'to seek', 'to aim at', 'to strive for'.
- ition: A Latin-derived noun suffix (from -itio, -itionem) indicating an action, process, or result.
Examples
She won first prize in the poetry competition.
There is fierce competition between the two companies for market share.
He decided to enter the competition to test his skills against the best.