English
theatre
Theatre comes from Old French teatre, from Latin theātrum, from Ancient Greek θέατρον ‘place for viewing’, from θεάομαι ‘to watch’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθεάομαιtheáomai‘to see, watch’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEθέατρονthéātron‘a place for viewing, theatre’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtheātrum‘a theatre or theater’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400teatre‘theater’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500theater‘a theatre open to the sky’
- Englishearliest quotation 1921theatre
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθεάομαιtheáomai‘to see, watch’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEθέατρονthéātron‘a place for viewing, theatre’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtheātrum‘a theatre or theater’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400teatre‘theater’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500theater‘a theatre open to the sky’
- Englishearliest quotation 1921theatre
Earliest quotation: 1921, Ben Travers, Garden City: “Mother[…]considered that the exclusiveness of Peter's circle was due…”
Every English word from Ancient Greek θεάομαι
Today it means
noun A cinema; movie theatre.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek θεάομαι / theatre