STADIA

STADIUM

stadium, bowl, arena, sports stadium

(noun) a large structure for open-air sports or entertainments

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

stadia (plural stadia)

(surveying) A level staff or graduated rod used by surveyors to measure differences in level, or to measure horizontal distances by sighting the stadia hairs (graduations) through a telescope.

(military) (historically) A graduated brass triangle used to measure the distance of a target by comparison of the graduations with the heights of soldiers or horses.

stadia pl (plural only)

plural of stadion

plural of stadium

Usage notes

• For clarification of which plural form of stadium is considered appropriate in a given context, see the usage note at the entry for stadium.

Synonyms

• (plural of stadium): stadiums

Anagrams

• adatis

Source: Wiktionary

STADIUM

Sta"di*um, n.; pl. Stadia. Etym: [L., a stadium (in sense 1), from Gr.

1. A Greek measure of length, being the chief one used for itinerary distances, also adopted by the Romans for nautical and astronomical measurements. It was equal to 600 Greek or 625 Roman feet, or 125 Roman paces, or to 606 feet 9 inches English. This was also called the Olympic stadium, as being the exact length of the foot-race course at Olympia. Dr. W. Smith.

2. Hence, a race course; especially, the Olympic course for foot races.

3. A kind of telemeter for measuring the distance of an object of known dimensions, by observing the angle it subtends; especially (Surveying), a graduated rod used to measure the distance of the place where it stands from an instrument having a telescope, by observing the number of the graduations of the rod that are seen between certain parallel wires (stadia wires) in the field of view of the telescope; -- also called stadia, and stadia rod.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition