physical education
noun
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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
Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 11 Dec. 2024
In many schools, dance is incorporated as part of physical education or music education.
—Heidi Moawad, Verywell Health, 7 Dec. 2024
But then there’s a physical education involved, which usually takes a few shows to break in.
—Leah Lu, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2024
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
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Dictionary Entries Near physical education
Cite this Entry
“Physical education.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/physical%20education. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.
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