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theater - 5 dictionary results
the⋅a⋅ter
[thee-uh-ter, theeuh
-] 
–noun
| 1. | a building, part of a building, or outdoor area for housing dramatic presentations, stage entertainments, or motion-picture shows. |
| 2. | the audience at a theatrical or motion-picture performance: The theater wept. |
| 3. | a theatrical or acting company. |
| 4. | a room or hall, fitted with tiers of seats rising like steps, used for lectures, surgical demonstrations, etc.: Students crowded into the operating theater. |
| 5. | the theater, dramatic performances as a branch of art; the drama: an actress devoted to the theater. |
| 6. | dramatic works collectively, as of literature, a nation, or an author (often prec. by the): the theater of Ibsen. |
| 7. | the quality or effectiveness of dramatic performance: good theater; bad theater; pure theater. |
| 8. | a place of action; field of operations. |
| 9. | a natural formation of land rising by steps or gradations. |
Also, theatre.
Origin:
1325–75; ME theatre < L theātrum < Gk théātron seeing place, theater, equiv. to theā-, s. of theâsthai to view + -tron suffix denoting means or place
1325–75; ME theatre < L theātrum < Gk théātron seeing place, theater, equiv. to theā-, s. of theâsthai to view + -tron suffix denoting means or place
Synonyms:
8. arena, site, stage, setting, scene.
8. arena, site, stage, setting, scene.
Pronunciation note:
Theater, an early Middle English borrowing from French, originally had its primary stress on the second syllable: [Fr. tey-ah-truh ] . As with many early French borrowings (beauty, carriage, marriage), the stress moved to the first syllable, in conformity with a common English pattern of stress, and this pattern remains the standard one for theater today: [thee-uh-ter, theeuh-]. A pronunciation with stress on the second syllable and the [ey] vowel: [thee-ey-ter] or sometimes [thee-ey-ter] is characteristic chiefly of uneducated speech.
Theater, an early Middle English borrowing from French, originally had its primary stress on the second syllable:
[Fr. tey-ah-truh ] . As with many early French borrowings (beauty, carriage, marriage), the stress moved to the first syllable, in conformity with a common English pattern of stress, and this pattern remains the standard one for theater today: [thee-uh-ter, theeuh-]. A pronunciation with stress on the second syllable and the [ey] vowel: [thee-ey-ter] or sometimes [thee-ey-ter] is characteristic chiefly of uneducated speech.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To theater
| the·a·ter or the·a·tre (thē'ə-tər) n.
[Middle English theatre, from Old French, from Latin theātrum, from Greek theātron, from theāsthai, to watch, from theā, a viewing.] Word History: Theories about the development of the theater in the West generally begin with Greek drama; this is etymologically appropriate as well as historically correct, since the words theory and theater are related through their Greek sources. The Greek ancestor of theater is theātron, "a place for seeing, especially for dramatic representation, theater." Theātron is derived from the verb theāsthai, "to gaze at, contemplate, view as spectators, especially in the theater," from theā, "a viewing." The Greek ancestor of theory is theōriā, which meant among other things "the sending of theōroi (state ambassadors sent to consult oracles or attend games)," "the act of being a spectator at the theater or games," "viewing," "contemplation by the mind," and "theory or speculation." The source of theōriā is theōros, "an envoy sent to consult an oracle, spectator," a compound of theā, "viewing," and -oros, "seeing." It is thus fitting to elaborate theories about culture while seeing a play in a theater. |
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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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Theater
The"a*ter\, Theatre \The"a*tre\, n. [F. th['e][^a]tre, L. theatrum, Gr. ?, fr. ? to see, view; cf. Skr. dhy[=a] to meditate, think. Cf. Theory.]1. An edifice in which dramatic performances or spectacles are exhibited for the amusement of spectators; anciently uncovered, except the stage, but in modern times roofed. 2. Any room adapted to the exhibition of any performances before an assembly, as public lectures, scholastic exercises, anatomical demonstrations, surgical operations, etc. 3. That which resembles a theater in form, use, or the like; a place rising by steps or gradations, like the seats of a theater. --Burns. Shade above shade, a woody theater Of stateliest view. --Milton. 4. A sphere or scheme of operation. [Obs.] For if a man can be partaker of God's theater, he shall likewise be partaker of God's rest. --Bacon. 5. A place or region where great events are enacted; as, the theater of war.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : theater
Spanish:
teatro, drama,
German:
das Schauspiel,
Japanese:
演劇
theater
c.1374, "open air place in ancient times for viewing spectacles," from O.Fr. theatre (12c.), from L. theatrum, from Gk. theatron "theater," lit. "place for viewing," from theasthai "to behold" (cf. thea "a view," theates "spectator") + -tron, suffix denoting place. Meaning "building where plays are shown" (1577) was transferred to that of "plays, writing, production, the stage" (1668). Spelling with -re prevailed in Britain after c.1700, but Amer.Eng. retained or revived the older spelling in -er. Generic sense of "place of action" is from 1581; especially "region where war is being fought" (1914). Theatrical "pertaining to the theater" is recorded from 1558; in the sense of "stagy, histrionic" it is attested from 1709.
"The Theatre of the Absurd strives to express its sense of the senselessness of the human condition and the inadequacy of the rational approach by the open abandonment of rational devices and discursive thought." [M. Esslin, "Theatre of the Absurd," 1961]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: the·ater
Variant: or the·atre /'thE-&t-&r/
Function: noun
1 : a room often with rising tiers ofseats for assemblies (as for lectures or surgical demonstrations)
2 usu theatre, British : a hospital operating room
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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