Where does “theatre” come from?
Theatre comes from Middle English theatre, from Old French theatre, from Latin theatrum, from Ancient Greek θέατρον, derived from θεάομαι meaning "to view," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "one who sees."
theatre (English): Alternative spelling of theater
Definitions
- Alternative spelling of theater
Ancestry of “theatre”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | theater | A theatre open to the sky; an amphitheatre; Any... |
| 2 | Old French | teatre | theater |
| 3 | Latin | theātrum | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | θέατρον | theatre, gathering place; play, spectacle |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
Words derived from “theatre”