theater

English Online Dictionary. What means theater‎? What does theater mean?

English

Alternative forms

• theatre (standard spelling in all English-speaking countries that use British spelling)

Etymology

From Middle English theater, theatre, from Old French theatre, from Latin theatrum, from Ancient Greek θέατρον (théatron, “a place for viewing”), from θεάομαι (theáomai, “to see", "to watch", "to observe”). Doublet of tiatr.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈθi(ə)tɚ/, (sometimes) /ˈθɪə.tɚ/, [ˈθi(ə)ɾɚ]
• (Canada, Southern American English) IPA^(key): /ˈθi(ə)tɚ/, /ˈθi.eɪ.tɚ/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈθiː.ə.tə/, /ˈθɪə.tə/, (somewhat dated) /θiˈɛt.ə/, (obsolete) /θiˈeɪ.tə/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈθiətə/, [ˈθiə̯tɜ], [ˈθiə̯ɾɜ]
• Rhymes: (US, Canada, Southern American English) -iːtə(ɹ), -iːətə(ɹ), (UK, somewhat dated) -ɛtə

Noun

theater (countable and uncountable, plural theaters) (American spelling)

1. A place or building, consisting of a stage and seating, in which an audience gathers to watch plays, musical performances, public ceremonies, and so on.
2. A region where a particular action takes place; a specific field of action, usually with reference to war.
3. A lecture theatre.
4. (medicine) An operating theatre or locale for human experimentation.

5. (US) A cinema.

6. Drama or performance as a profession or art form.

7. Any place rising by steps like the seats of a theater.
8. (figurative, derogatory, often following a noun used attributively) A conspicuous but unproductive display of action.

   The Senate confirmation hearings were just theater.

   security theater; hygiene theater

Usage notes

• The spelling theatre is the main spelling in British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand English, with theater being rare.
• In United States English, theater accounts for about 80 percent of usage in the major corpus of usage, COCA.
• Some American theatre professionals may use the two spellings to differentiate between the location theater and the art-form theatre. Alternatively, some people use theatre for things relating to live performances (and sometimes films and cinemas) like musical theatre, with theater being used for other uses (such as a theater of war).

Synonyms

• fabulous invalid
• playhouse

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• Appendix:Glossary of theatre

Anagrams

• hat tree, hattree, teareth, tethera, theatre, thereat

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French théâtre, from Old French theatre, from Latin theatrum, from Ancient Greek θέατρον (théatron, “a place for viewing”), from θεάομαι (theáomai, “to see", "to watch", "to observe”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /teːˈ(j)aːtər/
• Hyphenation: the‧a‧ter
• Rhymes: -aːtər

Noun

theater n (plural theaters, diminutive theatertje n)

1. theater (US), theatre (Commonwealth): either drama, the art form, or a drama theater (building)

Synonyms

• schouwburg

Derived terms

• danstheater
• theaterkunst
• volkstheater

Descendants

• Afrikaans: teater
• → Caribbean Javanese: téater
• → Indonesian: teater

Middle English

Alternative forms

• theatre, teatre, theatyr, theatere

Etymology

From Old French theatre, from Latin theatrum, from Ancient Greek θέατρον (théatron).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɛːatər/, /ˌtɛːˈaːtər/

Noun

theater

1. A theatre open to the sky; an amphitheatre.
2. Any stage which plays and performances take place at.
3. (rare) A whorehouse.

Descendants

• English: theater, theatre
• Scots: theatre

References

• “thē̆ā̆tre, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-05-19.