THEATER

theater, theatre, house

(noun) a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented; “the house was full”

dramaturgy, dramatic art, dramatics, theater, theatre

(noun) the art of writing and producing plays

field, field of operations, theater, theater of operations, theatre, theatre of operations

(noun) a region in which active military operations are in progress; “the army was in the field awaiting action”; “he served in the Vietnam theater for three years”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

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

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.

A region where a particular action takes place; a specific field of action, usually with reference to war.

A lecture theatre.

(medicine) An operating theatre or locale for human experimentation.

(US) A cinema.

Drama or performance as a profession or art form.

Any place rising by steps like the seats of a theater.

Usage notes

• The spelling theatre is the main spelling in British English, with theater being rare.

• In United States English, theater accounts for about 80 percent of usage in the major corpus of usage, COCA.

• Among American theatre professionals, there is some usage of the two spellings in order to differentiate between the location theater (as in definitions 1–5) and the art-form theatre (definition 6). A variant of this differentiation is the usage of theatre for things relating to live performances (as in definitions 1 and 6) with theater being used for all other uses.

Anagrams

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

Source: Wiktionary

The"a*ter, The"a*tre, n. Etym: [F. thé\'83tre, L. theatrum, Gr. dhya to meditate, think. Cf. Theory.]

1. An edifice in which dramatic performances or spectacles are exhibited for the amusement of spectators; anciently uncovered, except the stage, but in modern times roofed.

2. Any room adapted to the exhibition of any performances before an assembly, as public lectures, scholastic exercises, anatomical demonstrations, surgical operations, etc.

3. That which resembles a theater in form, use, or the like; a place rising by steps or gradations, like the seats of a theater. Burns. Shade above shade, a woody theater Of stateliest view. Milton.

4. A sphere or scheme of operation. [Obs.] For if a man can be partaker of God's theater, he shall likewise be partaker of God's rest. Bacon.

5. A place or region where great events are enacted; as, the theater of war.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition