Exercise Meaning
/ˈɛk.sə.saɪz/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounAny activity designed to develop or hone a skill or ability.
nounActivity intended to improve physical, or sometimes mental, strength and fitness.
Sentence Examples
To be an interesting person you have to feed and exercise your mind.
The instructor advised me to get exercise every day.
Regular exercise will improve blood circulation.
CEFR Practice Quiz
You should ____ regularly to maintain a healthy heart.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Regular ____ is important for maintaining a healthy weight and improving your mood.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰ Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs Proto-Italic *eks Latin ex Latin ex- Proto-Indo-European *h₂erk-der. Proto-Italic *arkeō Latin arceō Latin exerceō Latin exercitiumder. Old French exercisebor. Middle English exercise English exercise From Middle English exercise, from Old French exercise, from Latin exercitium.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Where noyse of armes, or vew of martiall guize / Might not reuiue desire of knightly exercize."
— 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 25:
"an exercise of the eyes and memory"
— 1693, [John Locke], “§178”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC:
"Regular mental exercise keeps the circuits of the brain active and healthy and reduces the risk of dementia."
— 2018, Timothy R. Jennings, The Aging Brain, →ISBN, page 107:
"This new-comer was a man who in any company would have seemed striking.[…]He was smooth-faced, and his fresh skin and well-developed figure bespoke the man in good physical condition through active exercise, yet well content with the world's apportionment."
— 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
"O we will walk this world, / Yoked in all exercise of noble end."
— 1847, Alfred Tennyson, “(please specify the page number, or |part=Prologue, I to VII, or conclusion)”, in The Princess: A Medley, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
You should ____ regularly to maintain a healthy heart.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Regular ____ is important for maintaining a healthy weight and improving your mood.