amphitheatre

Definition

An open, outdoor theatre (which may be a theatre in the round, or have a stage with seating on only one side), especially one from the classical period of ancient Greece or Rome, or a modern venue of similar design.

Etymology

From Latin amphitheatrum, from Ancient Greek ἀμφιθέατρον (amphithéatron) from ἀμφί (amphí, “on both sides”) + θέᾱτρον (théātron, “theatre”).

Example Sentences

• "Ancient Roman amphitheatres were mostly oval or circular in plan, with seating tiers that surrounded the central performance area, like a modern open-air stadium."
• "We had previously visited the building prepared for the assemblage, which was a vast pentagonal semicircular amphitheatre of painted wood and canvas work, ..."
• "The dry quarry in Shrewsbury [was] in use from at least 1445-6 [...until] 1568-9 (and perhaps beyond)[. ...] Location of this as the site of a semicircular amphitheatre [used in the 1400s and 1500s] is confirmed by the evidence, published in total for the first time in the present volume."