'Amphitheater' is a word borrowed from Greek 'amphitheatron'. The word entered the English language some time around the 14th century.
amphitheater [noun] [14th century]
- an oval or circular building with rising tiers of seats ranged about an open space and used in ancient Rome especially ...
- a very large auditorium
- a room with a gallery from which doctors and students may observe surgical operations
- a rising gallery in a modern theater
See 'amphitheater' on the Loan Words Map
See more loan words from Greek.
note: Late Middle English: via Latin from Greek amphitheatron - from amphi ‘on both sides’ + theatron.
Etymology: Latin 'amphitheatrum' from Greek 'amphitheatron' from 'amphi-' + 'theatron' theater
See more loan words from 1300s.
