Word for the Wise

March 09, 2006 Broadcast

Topic: Greenroom

A question about the origin of the theatrical term greenroom—which refers to a room where performers can relax either before or after appearances—found us willingly painted into an etymological corner.

Does the color green refer to the money that will be collected by the actors lounging about the greenroom? Does the name come from the wall color of some early (and now-sanctified) room where performers once waited for the show to begin? Or was the color green chosen because it was believed to be more soothing than, say, red walls, for a post-performance relaxation zone?

Now we've made this as dramatic as we can, we'll answer the question.

For starters, the term greenroom (then spelled with a hyphen, and nowadays spelled as either one word or two) made its print debut in a 1701 publication written by Drury Lane dramatist and actor Colley Cibber. An original greenroom has never been located. Although there are plenty of colorful theories purporting to explain the origin of the term (the room was painted green in order to ease the strain of bright stage lighting; acting companies in Shakespeare's day were said to have worn green livery; stage shrubbery was once stored there), in fact, the origin of the term remains uncertain.

Questions or comments? Write us at wftw@aol.com Production and research support for Word for the Wise comes from Merriam-Webster, publisher of language reference books and Web sites including Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.