prosceniumn.

Brit.

/prəˈsiːnɪəm/, U.S.

/prəˈsiniəm/,

/proʊˈsiniəm/

Inflections: Plural proscenia, prosceniums.

Forms: 1600s proscaenium, 1600s– proscenium.

Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin proscaenium.

Etymology: < classical Latin proscaenium, proscēnium performance area between the background and orchestra of a theatre, stage < Hellenistic Greek προσκήνιον < ancient Greek προ- pro- prefix² + σκηνή scene n. + -ιον , suffix forming nouns (compare -y suffix⁴). Compare Middle French, French proscenium (1547), Spanish proscenio (16th cent.), Italian proscenio (a1494).

I. Senses relating to the theatre.

a. In ancient Greek and Roman theatres: the area between the structure which forms the background (see scene n. 1) and the orchestra, on which the dramatic action took place; the stage.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > other parts of theatre > [noun] > parts of ancient Greek or Roman theatre

scenaa1387

scene1481

orchestra1606

proscenium1606

cavea1611

scenarioa1684

subselliuma1701

diazoma1706

parascenium1706

pavilion1730

hyposcenium1753

thymele1753

vomitorium1754

velarium1834

velum1843

1606 P. Holland tr. Suetonius Hist. Twelve Caesars 184 These Games hee beheld from the top of the Proscenium [margin The fore-stage].

1696 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Proscenium, the forepart of the Scene: an Edifice as high as the last Portico of the Theater, whose Face or Front was adorned with many ranges of Pillars.

1775 R. Chandler Trav. Asia Minor 227 The proscenium lies a confused heap.

1793 Ann. Reg. 1790 Acct. Bks. 164/2 They hoped that by digging the earth which covers the proscenium, the iogeum, &c. they might have made important discoveries upon the construction of ancient theatres.

1839 T. Arnold Let. in A. P. Stanley Life & Corr. T. Arnold (1844) II. ix. 160 The two marble pillars still standing in the proscenium of the theatre, reminded me of the Forum at Rome.

1869 H. F. Tozer Res. Highlands of Turkey II. 201 Of..the proscenium there are no remains.

1929 W. Miller Daedalus & Thespis I. iv. 48 At the presentation of the Ion in the theatre at Athens, the fountain of Castalia was probably represented on one of the movable panels of the proscenium.

2001 R. Laurence in C. Adams & R. Laurence Trav. & Geogr. Rom. Empire iv. 88 An inscription from Brough records that an Aedile of a Pagus erected the proscenium of the theatre dedicated to Antoninus Pius and the Numini Augusti.

b. In a modern theatre: the front part of the stage; spec. the area in front of the curtain, often including the curtain itself and the arch or framework which holds it.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > stage > [noun] > proscenium

proscenium1776

fourth wall1807

1776 Lady A. Miller Lett. from Italy I. xxiii. 332 There are two theatres at Modena, one is very well built and decorated... The proscenium, the tribunes, or boxes over the stage, and the stage-doors, are ornamented in a good taste.

?1795 Descr. new Building, still called Drury Lane Theatre in Kemmish’s Ann. Harmonist p. vi. The proscenium, or that part of the stage which is contained between the curtain and the orchestra, is fitted up with boxes, but without any stage-door.

1807 Director 1 244 This equivocal proscenium, as it were, dove-tails the house with the stage.

1860 All Year Round 25 Feb. 417 The appearance of the audience, as seen from the proscenium..is highly remarkable in its union of vastness with compactness.

1936 Stage June 33/1 There is no heavy drop curtain to mark the place, but half a dozen little curtains brightly painted, a different one for every scene and none of them entirely filling the proscenium.

1959 W. C. Lounsbury Backstage from A to Z 94 Portals may be scenery constructed for the play, or they may be a permanent part of the proscenium.

2006 Commerc. Appeal (Memphis, Tennessee) (Nexis) 20 Jan. g22 The bandstand takes up nearly the entire stage area, like a giant box nestled squarely within the proscenium.

c. = proscenium arch n. at Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > stage > [noun] > proscenium > arch

proscenium1853

proscenium arch1858

1853 Spirit of Times 19 Nov. 477/1 The great, heavy pillars on the stage, on either side, under the proscenium, have been taken away, and small private boxes occupy the place they uselessly encumbered.

1895 N.Y. Times 29 Jan. 10/2 A stage about 35 feet in width, framed in a rich rectangular gold and bronze proscenium.

1950 Educ. Theatre Jrnl. 2 100/2 Most of the court productions of the whole sixteenth century..had prosceniums,..and even puppet shows from the fourteenth century..had full frames.

2005 P. C. Kolin in Cambr. Compan. Edward Albee 22 The Zoo Story's proscenium frames a stage empty but for Jerry, Peter, and the bare park benches.

2. The world of the theatre; dramatic art. Cf. stage n. 5b. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > [noun]

sock and buskin1597

scene1616

drama1661

theatre1668

dramatics1684

dramaturgy1801

proscenium1812

1812 G. Colman Poet. Vagaries 14 During his time, from the Proscenium ta'en, Thalia and Melpomene both vanish'd.

1907 Edinb. Rev. Jan. 197 The Censor is still enthroned above the proscenium.

2005 Hindustan Times (Nexis) 9 Dec. Theatre, in India, has for long suffered silently in the shadows of the silver screen. Rarely..has the proscenium been accorded that mass adulation..that befalls the celluloid world.

II. Extended uses.

3. In extended use: a part extending in front of something; the foreground, the front.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > front > [noun]

foremostc1275

headc1275

foreparty1398

forepartc1400

foresidec1400

devant1411

fronture1417

fore-endc1425

frontierc1430

forefront1488

forehead1525

frontc1540

vaunt1589

proscenium1648

frontside1697

van1726

fore-piece1788

façade1839

fore1888

1648 R. Herrick Hesperides sig. L8 Lips she has, all Rubie red,..And a nose that is the grace And Proscenium of her face.

1793 G. Macartney Jrnl. 17 Sept. in J. Barrow Some Acct. Public Life Earl of Macartney (1807) II. 272 Several persons passed backwards and forwards, in the proscenium or fore ground of the tent.

1833 W. G. Simms Bk. my Lady 130 His wigwam was embowered still deeper in the recess of the [natural] amphitheatre, upon whose proscenium..Marramatté went forth at morning to meet the embraces of her lover.

1851 T. Carlyle Life J. Sterling i. xiv. 117 These thoughts..for a good while..kept possession of the proscenium of his mind.

1930 W. Faulkner As I lay Dying 213 We watch through the dissolving proscenium of the doorway as Jewel runs crouching to the far end of the coffin and stoops to it.

1975 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 119 360/2 The drapery acts as a kind of proscenium, hiding the severed edge [of the bust].

Compounds

C1. General attributive (chiefly in sense 1b).

proscenium curtain n.

ΚΠ

1829 Harlequin 20 June 46 The only drop below the proscenium curtain was the very fine pierced forest limbs, which every frequenter of Drury Lane Theatre must recollect.

1998 Metrop. Mus. Art Bull. 56 18 He did not hire the usual upholsterers to produce the proscenium curtain but retained his former schoolmate, Louis Tiffany.

proscenium door n.

ΚΠ

1859 G. L. Aiken & H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin iii. iii. 33 (stage direct.) A corridor.—Proscenium doors on.—Music.

1999 Winterthur Portfolio 34 245/2 Visitors progress from the audience section past a proscenium door, which in eighteenth-century theater was the place of entry for the actors.

proscenium drop n.

ΚΠ

1827 T. J. Dibdin Reminisc. II. 115 One artist offered to paint me a proscenium drop (as we call the painted cloth which falls between the acts).

1949 Cook County (Illinois) Herald 25 Feb. 3/2 Spectators will be greeted on the performance night by a huge old-fashioned proscenium drop, showing a street scene.

proscenium opening n.

ΚΠ

1851 S. F. Baird tr. J. G. Heck Iconogr. Encycl. IV. 189 The length or rather depth of the stage..should be at least twice that of the proscenium-opening.

1995 Art Bull. 77 626/1 A reliquary shrine..housed the Shroud from 1587 until 1685, when the structure was demolished to clear the view toward the proscenium opening of Guarini's chapel.

C2.

proscenium arch n. an arch framing the opening between the stage and the auditorium.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > stage > [noun] > proscenium > arch

proscenium1853

proscenium arch1858

1858 N.-Y. Times 1 Sept. 3/6 (advt.) This magnificent Temple of the Drama..has been repainted and decorated. A new proscenium arch..has been constructed.

1901 Scribner's Mag. 29 466/2 I was in the box that used to be built inside the proscenium arch so that the actors themselves could watch the stage during their waits.

1992 Stage 17 Dec. 36/2 His long-time fascination with the cardboard characters and do-it-yourself proscenium arches and platforms of miniature playhouses has extended to building up a large collection of his own.

proscenium box n. a box (box n.² 16a) situated close to the stage.

ΚΠ

1821 Times 7 Feb. 4/1 The King..entered the box fitted up for his reception, which was the large proscenium box on the right of the stage.

1875 M. E. Braddon Strange World I. ii. 36 That official..unlocked a door behind the proscenium box, a door sacred to the manager, and let Penwyn through.

1902 J. P. Sousa Fifth String i. 14 Suddenly his eyes met the gaze of the solitary occupant of the second proscenium box.

1999 Cambr. Opera Jrnl. 11 262 Of the various authorities connected with censorship and surveillance, the Deputation received the proscenium box in the second—and most prestigious—tier.

proscenium stage n. a stage framed by a proscenium arch.

ΚΠ

1886 Shakespeariana 1 June 281 The promotors [sic] took Hengler's Circus..and built a proscenium stage across one chord of the circle.

1935 E. J. R. Isaacs Archit. for New Theatre 91 Inside the railing in front of the first row of seats is a circular row of lamps for throwing light upward (as footlights do on a proscenium stage).

1993 N.Y. Times 12 Sept. ii. 5/2 Given the proscenium stage of the Lyttelton, it will be interesting to see how this works on the thrust stage of the Vivian Beaumont when ‘Carousel’ opens in March.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	proscenium
释义	prosceniumn. Brit. /prəˈsiːnɪəm/, U.S. /prəˈsiniəm/, /proʊˈsiniəm/ Inflections: Plural proscenia, prosceniums. Forms: 1600s proscaenium, 1600s– proscenium. Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin proscaenium. Etymology: < classical Latin proscaenium, proscēnium performance area between the background and orchestra of a theatre, stage < Hellenistic Greek προσκήνιον < ancient Greek προ- pro- prefix² + σκηνή scene n. + -ιον , suffix forming nouns (compare -y suffix⁴). Compare Middle French, French proscenium (1547), Spanish proscenio (16th cent.), Italian proscenio (a1494). I. Senses relating to the theatre. 1. a. In ancient Greek and Roman theatres: the area between the structure which forms the background (see scene n. 1) and the orchestra, on which the dramatic action took place; the stage. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > other parts of theatre > [noun] > parts of ancient Greek or Roman theatre scenaa1387 scene1481 orchestra1606 proscenium1606 cavea1611 scenarioa1684 subselliuma1701 diazoma1706 parascenium1706 pavilion1730 hyposcenium1753 thymele1753 vomitorium1754 velarium1834 velum1843 1606 P. Holland tr. Suetonius Hist. Twelve Caesars 184 These Games hee beheld from the top of the Proscenium [margin The fore-stage]. 1696 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Proscenium, the forepart of the Scene: an Edifice as high as the last Portico of the Theater, whose Face or Front was adorned with many ranges of Pillars. 1775 R. Chandler Trav. Asia Minor 227 The proscenium lies a confused heap. 1793 Ann. Reg. 1790 Acct. Bks. 164/2 They hoped that by digging the earth which covers the proscenium, the iogeum, &c. they might have made important discoveries upon the construction of ancient theatres. 1839 T. Arnold Let. in A. P. Stanley Life & Corr. T. Arnold (1844) II. ix. 160 The two marble pillars still standing in the proscenium of the theatre, reminded me of the Forum at Rome. 1869 H. F. Tozer Res. Highlands of Turkey II. 201 Of..the proscenium there are no remains. 1929 W. Miller Daedalus & Thespis I. iv. 48 At the presentation of the Ion in the theatre at Athens, the fountain of Castalia was probably represented on one of the movable panels of the proscenium. 2001 R. Laurence in C. Adams & R. Laurence Trav. & Geogr. Rom. Empire iv. 88 An inscription from Brough records that an Aedile of a Pagus erected the proscenium of the theatre dedicated to Antoninus Pius and the Numini Augusti. b. In a modern theatre: the front part of the stage; spec. the area in front of the curtain, often including the curtain itself and the arch or framework which holds it. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > stage > [noun] > proscenium proscenium1776 fourth wall1807 1776 Lady A. Miller Lett. from Italy I. xxiii. 332 There are two theatres at Modena, one is very well built and decorated... The proscenium, the tribunes, or boxes over the stage, and the stage-doors, are ornamented in a good taste. ?1795 Descr. new Building, still called Drury Lane Theatre in Kemmish’s Ann. Harmonist p. vi. The proscenium, or that part of the stage which is contained between the curtain and the orchestra, is fitted up with boxes, but without any stage-door. 1807 Director 1 244 This equivocal proscenium, as it were, dove-tails the house with the stage. 1860 All Year Round 25 Feb. 417 The appearance of the audience, as seen from the proscenium..is highly remarkable in its union of vastness with compactness. 1936 Stage June 33/1 There is no heavy drop curtain to mark the place, but half a dozen little curtains brightly painted, a different one for every scene and none of them entirely filling the proscenium. 1959 W. C. Lounsbury Backstage from A to Z 94 Portals may be scenery constructed for the play, or they may be a permanent part of the proscenium. 2006 Commerc. Appeal (Memphis, Tennessee) (Nexis) 20 Jan. g22 The bandstand takes up nearly the entire stage area, like a giant box nestled squarely within the proscenium. c. = proscenium arch n. at Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > stage > [noun] > proscenium > arch proscenium1853 proscenium arch1858 1853 Spirit of Times 19 Nov. 477/1 The great, heavy pillars on the stage, on either side, under the proscenium, have been taken away, and small private boxes occupy the place they uselessly encumbered. 1895 N.Y. Times 29 Jan. 10/2 A stage about 35 feet in width, framed in a rich rectangular gold and bronze proscenium. 1950 Educ. Theatre Jrnl. 2 100/2 Most of the court productions of the whole sixteenth century..had prosceniums,..and even puppet shows from the fourteenth century..had full frames. 2005 P. C. Kolin in Cambr. Compan. Edward Albee 22 The Zoo Story's proscenium frames a stage empty but for Jerry, Peter, and the bare park benches. 2. The world of the theatre; dramatic art. Cf. stage n. 5b. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > [noun] sock and buskin1597 scene1616 drama1661 theatre1668 dramatics1684 dramaturgy1801 proscenium1812 1812 G. Colman Poet. Vagaries 14 During his time, from the Proscenium ta'en, Thalia and Melpomene both vanish'd. 1907 Edinb. Rev. Jan. 197 The Censor is still enthroned above the proscenium. 2005 Hindustan Times (Nexis) 9 Dec. Theatre, in India, has for long suffered silently in the shadows of the silver screen. Rarely..has the proscenium been accorded that mass adulation..that befalls the celluloid world. II. Extended uses. 3. In extended use: a part extending in front of something; the foreground, the front. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > front > [noun] foremostc1275 headc1275 foreparty1398 forepartc1400 foresidec1400 devant1411 fronture1417 fore-endc1425 frontierc1430 forefront1488 forehead1525 frontc1540 vaunt1589 proscenium1648 frontside1697 van1726 fore-piece1788 façade1839 fore1888 1648 R. Herrick Hesperides sig. L8 Lips she has, all Rubie red,..And a nose that is the grace And Proscenium of her face. 1793 G. Macartney Jrnl. 17 Sept. in J. Barrow Some Acct. Public Life Earl of Macartney (1807) II. 272 Several persons passed backwards and forwards, in the proscenium or fore ground of the tent. 1833 W. G. Simms Bk. my Lady 130 His wigwam was embowered still deeper in the recess of the [natural] amphitheatre, upon whose proscenium..Marramatté went forth at morning to meet the embraces of her lover. 1851 T. Carlyle Life J. Sterling i. xiv. 117 These thoughts..for a good while..kept possession of the proscenium of his mind. 1930 W. Faulkner As I lay Dying 213 We watch through the dissolving proscenium of the doorway as Jewel runs crouching to the far end of the coffin and stoops to it. 1975 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 119 360/2 The drapery acts as a kind of proscenium, hiding the severed edge [of the bust]. Compounds C1. General attributive (chiefly in sense 1b). proscenium curtain n. ΚΠ 1829 Harlequin 20 June 46 The only drop below the proscenium curtain was the very fine pierced forest limbs, which every frequenter of Drury Lane Theatre must recollect. 1998 Metrop. Mus. Art Bull. 56 18 He did not hire the usual upholsterers to produce the proscenium curtain but retained his former schoolmate, Louis Tiffany. proscenium door n. ΚΠ 1859 G. L. Aiken & H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin iii. iii. 33 (stage direct.) A corridor.—Proscenium doors on.—Music. 1999 Winterthur Portfolio 34 245/2 Visitors progress from the audience section past a proscenium door, which in eighteenth-century theater was the place of entry for the actors. proscenium drop n. ΚΠ 1827 T. J. Dibdin Reminisc. II. 115 One artist offered to paint me a proscenium drop (as we call the painted cloth which falls between the acts). 1949 Cook County (Illinois) Herald 25 Feb. 3/2 Spectators will be greeted on the performance night by a huge old-fashioned proscenium drop, showing a street scene. proscenium opening n. ΚΠ 1851 S. F. Baird tr. J. G. Heck Iconogr. Encycl. IV. 189 The length or rather depth of the stage..should be at least twice that of the proscenium-opening. 1995 Art Bull. 77 626/1 A reliquary shrine..housed the Shroud from 1587 until 1685, when the structure was demolished to clear the view toward the proscenium opening of Guarini's chapel. C2. proscenium arch n. an arch framing the opening between the stage and the auditorium. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > stage > [noun] > proscenium > arch proscenium1853 proscenium arch1858 1858 N.-Y. Times 1 Sept. 3/6 (advt.) This magnificent Temple of the Drama..has been repainted and decorated. A new proscenium arch..has been constructed. 1901 Scribner's Mag. 29 466/2 I was in the box that used to be built inside the proscenium arch so that the actors themselves could watch the stage during their waits. 1992 Stage 17 Dec. 36/2 His long-time fascination with the cardboard characters and do-it-yourself proscenium arches and platforms of miniature playhouses has extended to building up a large collection of his own. proscenium box n. a box (box n.² 16a) situated close to the stage. ΚΠ 1821 Times 7 Feb. 4/1 The King..entered the box fitted up for his reception, which was the large proscenium box on the right of the stage. 1875 M. E. Braddon Strange World I. ii. 36 That official..unlocked a door behind the proscenium box, a door sacred to the manager, and let Penwyn through. 1902 J. P. Sousa Fifth String i. 14 Suddenly his eyes met the gaze of the solitary occupant of the second proscenium box. 1999 Cambr. Opera Jrnl. 11 262 Of the various authorities connected with censorship and surveillance, the Deputation received the proscenium box in the second—and most prestigious—tier. proscenium stage n. a stage framed by a proscenium arch. ΚΠ 1886 Shakespeariana 1 June 281 The promotors [sic] took Hengler's Circus..and built a proscenium stage across one chord of the circle. 1935 E. J. R. Isaacs Archit. for New Theatre 91 Inside the railing in front of the first row of seats is a circular row of lamps for throwing light upward (as footlights do on a proscenium stage). 1993 N.Y. Times 12 Sept. ii. 5/2 Given the proscenium stage of the Lyttelton, it will be interesting to see how this works on the thrust stage of the Vivian Beaumont when ‘Carousel’ opens in March. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.1606
随便看	to cast a thing in one's teeth to cast a thing into the shade to cast a thing to mischance to cast a thought, a reflection upon to cast a traverse to cast a trump in one's way to cast a trump in way to cast a veil over to cast about to cast about one to cast abroad to cast accounts to cast adrift to cast ambs-ace to cast ambsace to cast ames-ace to cast amesace to cast an anchor to windward to cast an essoin to cast an eye, glance, look to cast anchor to cast any one in the teeth to cast aside to cast aside one's ear to cast aspersions upon