physical education

noun

: instruction in the development and care of the body ranging from simple calisthenic exercises to a course of study providing training in hygiene, gymnastics, and the performance and management of athletic games

Did you know?

The Importance (Linguistic and Otherwise) of Physical Education

Physical education has existed since ancient times, but it wasn’t until several hundred years ago that the term itself (abbreviated as phys ed or PE) came into being. Its earliest known use comes, oddly enough, from a 1748 book titled Critical Reflections on Poetry, Painting, and Music: “Cannot some years prove more favorable than others to the physical education of children. . . ?” A few decades after these words were published, gymnasiums opened across Europe, especially in Germany, where gymnastics associations (or turnvereins) fostered physical health as well as civic involvement and cultural enrichment. Thanks in part to immigration, these clubs, and European enthusiasm for athletics in general, spread to the U.S. During the 19th century, American educators adopted European methods of teaching physical training, and both the word physical education and the phenomenon it represents became well established in this country.

Examples of physical education in a Sentence

He teaches physical education at the high school.

Recent Examples on the Web

Physical training, including sports, physical education and yoga, with a goal of fitness for life, is essential, as is language instruction, with Spanish taught throughout our curriculum as a second language. —Frederick G. Smith, Baltimore Sun, 4 Aug. 2024

In the late nineteenth century, excavations in Greece combined with a social movement promoting physical education and increasing international cooperation fanned excitement over reinstituting the Olympic Games. —Miriam Kamil, JSTOR Daily, 20 Nov. 2024

At Curley, Jones also will serve as a physical education and health instructor and assistant athletic director. —Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 23 Apr. 2024

Daly said that when Connecticut schools face budget cuts, physical education is often first on the chopping block. —Evan Gorelick, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

physical education

noun

: instruction in the care and development of the body