Definition of velarium
-ia
\vi-ˈler-ē-ə\: an awning over an ancient Roman theater or amphitheater
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Origin and Etymology of velarium
borrowed from Latin vēlārium “curtain” + -ārium 1-ary ◆The sole instance of the word in classical Latin (in a satire of Juvenal) refers to a curtain in a theater; the notion that velarium referred specifically to an awning in an amphitheater is an invention of post-classical antiquarians and lexicographers.
First Known Use: 1834
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