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velarium

noun ve·lar·i·um \ vi-ˈler-ē-əm \

Definition of velarium

plural -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
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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