Past tense of compete; strived against others for a prize, advantage, or superiority.
From Latin competere, meaning 'to strive together' or 'to coincide,' composed of com- (together) and petere (to seek, aim at). The modern sense of rivalry developed from the idea of seeking the same goal as others.
The etymology reveals that competition originally meant working together toward the same goal, which seems paradoxical to our modern understanding of rivalry. This linguistic evolution mirrors how human cooperation and competition are often two sides of the same coin in driving progress.
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