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gymnasium

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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.

Origin:
1590–1600; < L: a public school for gymnastics < Gk gymnásion gymnastic school (deriv. of gymnázein to train in the nude


gym⋅na⋅si⋅al, adjective

gym⋅na⋅si⋅um

2[gim-nah-zee-uhm]
–noun, plural -si⋅ums, -si⋅a [-zee-uh] .
(often initial capital letter) (in continental Europe, esp. Germany) a classical school preparatory to the universities.

Origin:
1685–95; < G; special use of gymnasium 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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gym·na·si·um   (jĭm-nā'zē-əm)   
n.   pl. gym·na·si·ums or gym·na·si·a (-zē-ə) Sports
  1. A room or building equipped for indoor sports.

  2. (gĭm-nä'zē-ŏŏm') An academic high school in some central European countries, especially Germany, that prepares students for the university.


[Latin, school, from Greek gumnasion, from gumnazein, to exercise naked, from gumnos, naked; see nogw- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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. Gymnast (1594) in the modern sense is a back-formation of gymnastic, (1574) from Gk. gynmastikos "pertaining to or skilled in bodily exercise."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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