stadium
6 dictionary results for: Stadium
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
sta·di·um 
[stey-dee-uhm] Pronunciation Key
[stey-dee-uhm] Pronunciation Key –noun, plural -di·ums, -di·a
[-dee-uh] Pronunciation Key.
[-dee-uh] Pronunciation Key. | 1. | a sports arena, usually oval or horseshoe-shaped, with tiers of seats for spectators. |
| 2. | an ancient Greek course for foot races, typically semicircular, with tiers of seats for spectators. |
| 3. | an ancient Greek and Roman unit of length, the Athenian unit being equal to about 607 feet (185 m). |
| 4. | a stage in a process or in the life of an organism. |
| 5. | Entomology. stage (def. 11b). |
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME < L < Gk stádion unit of distance, racecourse]
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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| sta·di·um
(stā'dē-əm) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. sta·di·ums or sta·di·a (-dē-ə)
[Middle English, unit of length, from Latin, from Greek stadion, perhaps alteration (influenced by stadios, firm) of spadion, racetrack, from spān, to pull.] |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
stadium
stadium
1398, "a foot race, an ancient measure of length," from L. stadium "a measure of length, a race course" (commonly one-eighth of a Roman mile; transl. in early Eng. Bibles by furlong), from Gk. stadion "a measure of length, a running track," especially the track at Olympia, which was one stadium in length. The Gk. word may literally mean "fixed standard of length" (from stadios "firm, fixed," from PIE base *sta- "to stand"), or it may be from spadion, from span "to draw up, pull," with form infl. by stadios. The meaning "running track," recorded in Eng. from 1603, was extended to mean in modern-day context "large, open oval structure with tiers of seats for viewing sporting events" (1834).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| stadium | |
noun | |
| a large structure for open-air sports or entertainments |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Stadium
Sta"di*um\, n. A modern structure, with its inclosure, resembling the ancient stadium, used for athletic games, etc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Stadium
Sta"di*um\, n.; pl. Stadia. [L., a stadium (in sense 1), from Gr. ?.]1. A Greek measure of length, being the chief one used for itinerary distances, also adopted by the Romans for nautical and astronomical measurements. It was equal to 600 Greek or 625 Roman feet, or 125 Roman paces, or to 606 feet 9 inches English. This was also called the Olympic stadium, as being the exact length of the foot-race course at Olympia. --Dr. W. Smith. 2. Hence, a race course; especially, the Olympic course for foot races. 3. A kind of telemeter for measuring the distance of an object of known dimensions, by observing the angle it subtends; especially (Surveying), a graduated rod used to measure the distance of the place where it stands from an instrument having a telescope, by observing the number of the graduations of the rod that are seen between certain parallel wires (stadia wires) in the field of view of the telescope; -- also called stadia, and stadia rod.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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