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

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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

He teaches physical education at the high school.

Recent Examples on the Web

The $33,700 grant was used to make renovations that provide improved access to strength training, movement education and lifelong fitness skills aligned with physical education curriculum goals, school officials said. —Chuck Fieldman, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026

At the school level, Maugans has advocated for pedestrian safety to be included in the physical education curriculum at Corinth. —Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 21 Jan. 2026

Joanne Campbell, the principal at Frazier, said students will get more exposure to physical education, and that sports, nutrition, fitness and wellness would form the foundation of instruction at the school. —Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Jan. 2026

Such contributions have supported the CWB students’ physical education and recreational activities. —Kate Zhao, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for physical education

• americanization
• anticoagulation
• antidiscrimination
• bioaccumulation
• bioremediation
• compartmentalization
• contextualization
• copolymerization
• decriminalization
• dehumidification
• demilitarization
• demineralization

Kids Definition

physical education

noun

: instruction in the care and development of the body