A variant or archaic form of 'athlete,' sometimes used in technical or historical contexts.
This appears to be a rare variant combining Greek elements: athl- (from aethlon 'contest') plus -othete or -olete. This form is extremely uncommon and may be primarily historical.
This word is so obscure that even most dictionaries don't list it—it's the kind of ghost word that emerges in very old texts and reminds us that language is constantly evolving, with many variant forms eventually disappearing.
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