velarium

noun ve·lar·i·um \ vi-ˈler-ē-əm \

Definition of velarium

plural velaria \vi-ˈler-ē-ə\

: an awning over an ancient Roman theater or amphitheater

Origin and Etymology of velarium

borrowed from Latin vēlārium "curtain" + -ārium ¹-ary

Note: 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.

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First Known Use: 1834

in the meaning defined above

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