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
Bob Skolnik, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
The family migrated to Missouri, where Cunningham later enrolled in the University of Missouri and earned degrees in both education and physical education.
—Jeff McDonald, Mercury News, 29 Aug. 2025
Nashville school officials asked the commission to uphold their decision, citing financial concerns with a lack of space for career or physical education.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2025
About half of all applicants are accepted to Ohio Wesleyan, and popular majors include zoology and animal biology; psychology; and sports, kinesiology, and physical education.
—Emma Whitford, Forbes.com, 26 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 4 Sep. 2025.
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