Definition of "exercise" []

• An act of employing or putting into play; use: the free exercise of intellect; the exercise of an option. (noun)
• The discharge of a duty, function, or office. (noun)
• Activity that requires physical or mental exertion, especially when performed to develop or maintain fitness: took an hour of vigorous daily exercise at a gym. (noun)
• A task, problem, or other effort performed to develop or maintain fitness or increase skill: a piano exercise; a memory exercise. (noun)
• An activity having a specified aspect: an undertaking that was an exercise in futility. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "I'm of the opinion that although exercise provides a multitude of health benefits, *exercise*"
• "For many people, the term exercise has an unpleasant ring to it."
• "The word exercise comes from the Latin exercere, meaning to keep busy or at work."