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Gymnasium

 [jim-ney-zee-uhm]   Origin

gym·na·si·um

1   [jim-ney-zee-uhm]
noun, plural -si·ums, -si·a  [-zee-uh, -zhuh] .
1.
a building or room designed and equipped for indoor sports, exercise, or physical education.
2.
a place where Greek youths met for exercise and discussion.
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Origin:
1590–1600; < Latin: a public school for gymnastics < Greek gymnásion gymnastic school (derivative of gymnázein to train in the nude

Related forms
gym·na·si·al, adjective

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Gymnasium is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

gym·na·si·um

2   [gim-nah-zee-uhm]
noun, plural -si·ums, -si·a  [-zee-uh] .
(often initial capital letter) (in continental Europe, especially Germany) a classical school preparatory to the universities.
Origin:
1685–95; < German; special use of gymnasium1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
gymnasium (dʒɪmˈneɪzɪəm)
 
—n , pl -siums, -sia
1.  a large room or hall equipped with bars, weights, ropes, etc, for games or physical training
2.  (in various European countries) a secondary school that prepares pupils for university
 
[C16: from Latin: school for gymnastics, from Greek gumnasion, from gumnazein to exercise naked, from gumnos naked]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

gymnasium
1598, "place of exercise," from L. gymnasium "school for gymnastics," from Gk. gymnasion, from gymnazein "to exercise or train," lit. "to train naked," from gymnos "naked." Shortened form gym is attested from 1871. Introduced to Ger. 15c. as a name for "high school," in Eng. it has remained purely athletic.
EXPAND
Gymnast (1594) in the modern sense is a back-formation of gymnastic, (1574) from Gk. gynmastikos "pertaining to or skilled in bodily exercise."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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