velarium

noun

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ve·lar·i·um | \ vi-ˈler-ē-əm

plural velaria\ vi-ˈler-ē-ə

Definition of velarium

: an awning over an ancient Roman theater or amphitheater

History and Etymology for velarium

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

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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