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
Ali Shihabi, Time, 8 Sep. 2025
The exercise system was designed in the 1920s by Joseph Pilates, a German physical education instructor.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2025
Hjermstad worked as a physical education and health teacher at The Mastery School and a basketball coach at Hospitality House Youth Development and Harvest Best Academy.
—Kristi Miller, Twin Cities, 5 Sep. 2025
Last year and this year OPRF has been functioning fine while the southeast corner of the building is under construction although many physical education classes have been moved outdoors.
—Bob Skolnik, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Physical education.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/physical%20education. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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