In ancient Greece, a trainer or attendant who anointed athletes with oil before exercise or competition.
From Greek aleiptes (from aleiphein, 'to anoint with oil'), referring to the person whose job was to oil athletes. The suffix relates to the performer of an action.
The aliptes was basically the ancient Greek equivalent of a sports trainer or physical therapist—they understood that oil reduced friction and injuries, which is why modern swimmers still oil up before competitions!
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