Colosseum

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A monumental structure from ancient Rome, renowned for being an arena for gladiatorial contests and public entertainment
2. A large elliptical structure built in ancient Rome that hosted gladiator fights and other spectacles
3. An impressive oval arena constructed during the Roman Empire used for hosting combat and entertainment events

Etymology: The Colosseum got its name not from the arena's own grandeur but from a giant statue standing nearby. Ancient Greek "kolossós" meant a giant statue, and the Romans borrowed the adjective "colosseus" to describe anything gigantic. Emperor Nero had commissioned a colossal bronze statue of himself, roughly 30 metres tall, near the site, and the amphitheatre built on the spot was named after that colossus, not after any feature of its own design. The Latin noun "colosseum" was formed from the neuter of that adjective, so the name literally meant something like "the gigantic (thing)." Over time the statue vanished, but the name stuck to the enormous amphitheatre that replaced Nero's private park and pond, a neat reversal in which the monument to one emperor's vanity gave its name to the building that outlasted him.

Synonyms: amphitheater