[uh-ree-nuh] Pronunciation Key | 1. | the oval space in the center of a Roman amphitheater for gladiatorial combats or other performances. |
| 2. | a central stage, ring, area, or the like, used for sports or other forms of entertainment, surrounded by seats for spectators: a boxing arena; a circus arena. |
| 3. | a building housing an arena. |
| 4. | a field of conflict, activity, or endeavor: the arena of politics. |
] Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
| a·re·na
(ə-rē'nə) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Latin harēna, arēna, sand, a sand-strewn place of combat in an amphitheater, perhaps of Etruscan origin.] Word History: Fans watching contact sports such as boxing, hockey, or football in modern arenas might be struck by the connection between the word arena and the notion of gladiatorial combat. This word is from Latin harēna (also spelled arēna), "sand." Harēna then came to mean the part of a Roman amphitheater that was covered with sand to absorb the blood spilled by the combatants. Arena is first recorded in English during the 17th century, denoting this area of a Roman amphitheater. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
arena
| arena | |
noun | |
| 1. | a particular environment or walk of life; "his social sphere is limited"; "it was a closed area of employment"; "he's out of my orbit" [syn: sphere] |
| 2. | the central area of an ancient Roman amphitheater where contests and spectacles were held; especially an area that was strewn with sand |
| 3. | a large structure for open-air sports or entertainments [syn: stadium] |
| 4. | a playing field where sports events take place |
arena programming
The area of memory attached to a Unix process by the brk and sbrk system calls and used by malloc as dynamic storage. So named from a "malloc: corrupt arena" message emitted when some early versions detected an impossible value in the free block list.
See overrun screw, aliasing bug, memory leak, memory smash, smash the stack.
[The Jargon File]
(1995-12-28)
arena
n. [common; Unix] The area of memory attached to a process by `brk(2)' and `sbrk(2)' and used by `malloc(3)' as dynamic storage. So named from a `malloc: corrupt arena' message emitted when some early versions detected an impossible value in the free block list. See overrun screw, aliasing bug, memory leak, memory smash, smash the stack.Arena, ND Zip code(s): 58412
Arena, WI (village, FIPS 2550) Location: 43.16333 N, 89.91321 W
Population (1990): 525 (194 housing units)
Area: 2.1 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 53503
Point Arena, CA (city, FIPS 57876) Location: 38.91145 N, 123.69072 W
Population (1990): 407 (196 housing units)
Area: 3.5 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 95468
Arena
A*re"na\, n.; pl. E. Arenas; L. Aren[ae]. [L. arena, harena, sand, a sandy place.]1. (Rom. Antiq.) The area in the central part of an amphitheater, in which the gladiators fought and other shows were exhibited; -- so called because it was covered with sand. 2. Any place of public contest or exertion; any sphere of action; as, the arenaof debate; the arena of life. 3. (Med.) "Sand" or "gravel" in the kidneys.Copyright © 2008, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.













