theatretheatern.
1. † b. An amphitheatre. Obsolete.† d. A circular basin of water. Obsolete.
a. Ancient Greek History and Roman History. A place constructed in the open air, for viewing dramatic plays or other spectacles.It had the form of a segment of a circle; the auditorium was usually excavated from a hillside, the seats rising in tiers above and behind one another; the orchestra, occupied by the chorus, separated the stage from the auditorium.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > [noun] > ancient Greek or Roman
amphitheatreeOE
theatrec1374
odeuma1610
Odeon1734
c1374 G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Cambr.) i. pr. i. 2 Comune strompetes of swich a place þat men clepyn the theatre.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds xix. 29 Thei maden a sawt with oon ynwit, or wille, in to the teatre, or comune biholdyng place.
1412–20 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy iii. 5442 In compleynynge, pitously in rage, In þe theatre, with a ded visage.
1541 T. Elyot Image of Gouernance xxii. f. 42 Many wolde resorte to the common houses callyd Theatres, and purposyng some matter of philosophye, wolde there dyspute openly.
1591 E. Spenser Ruines of Time in Complaints 92 High towers, faire temples, goodly theaters.
1697 J. Potter Archæologiæ Græcæ I. i. viii. 37 Ωδεῖον was a Musick-Theater, Built by Pericles.
1840 T. Arnold Hist. Rome II. xxxvii. 477 The whole Tarentine people were assembled in the theatre.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > a public show or spectacle > [noun] > place for public shows > amphitheatre
amphitheatreeOE
theatrec1405
Coliseec1450
Colosseum1738
c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 1027 Swich a noble Theatre as it was I dar wel seyn in this world ther nas.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry IV f. ijv Then he graunted them the battaill & assigned the place to be at the citee of Couentree..where he caused a sumpteous theatre and listes royal..to be prepared.
c. A natural formation or place suggesting such a structure.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > hollow or depression > [noun] > natural amphitheatre
amphitheatre1613
theatre1652
circus1836
cwm1853
cirque1874
kar1893
1652 Donne's Epigr. in Poems 102 O wilt thou be Diana, haunt these fields, This Theater both woods and fountains yeelds?
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iv. 141 Shade above shade, a woodie Theatre Of stateliest view. View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis v, in tr. Virgil Wks. 338 A Native Theatre, which rising slow, By just degrees, o'relook'd the Ground below.
1744 J. Thomson Summer in Seasons (new ed.) 84 Mid the Central Depth of blackning Woods, High-rais'd in solemn Theater around.
1818 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Canto IV xlviii. 27 Girt by her theatre of hills.
1886 J. Ruskin Præterita I. ix. 288 In Jura is a far retiring theatre of rising terraces.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > lake > pool > [noun] > round
theatrea1684
a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1645 (1955) II. 392 A streame, precipitating into a large Theater of Water.
a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1645 (1955) II. 392 In one of these Theaters of Water, is an Atlas spouting up the streame to an incredible height.
2.
a. In modern use, An edifice specially adapted to dramatic representations; a playhouse.Its essential parts, as in sense 1, are the stage for the actors, and the auditorium (the latter consisting of ranges of seats, one above another); the stage is furnished with movable scenes and more or less elaborate stage machinery for their production and removal. In 16–17th centuries the building was only partially roofed; it is now entirely under cover.At first apparently the proper name of a particular playhouse in Shoreditch, outside the City of London, built 1576: see Arber, Gosson's Schoole of Abuse, Introd. 8, and early quots. patent theatre, a theatre established or licensed by royal letters patent (the first two of which were granted in 1603). Their exclusive privileges were abolished in 1843. saloon theatre (obsolete exc. Historical), variety theatre: see quots. 1892, 19021. picture theatre, a hall in which cinema films are shown, a ‘picture palace’.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > [noun]
houseOE
playhouseOE
playing-placea1375
showplace1560
show hall1562
theatre?1577
theatre-house1578
cockpita1616
stage-house1638
show house1674
saloon1747
theatrum1786
spellkenc1800
hippodrome1811
spell1819
show-box1822
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > [noun] > music hall
variety theatre?1577
music hall1749
hall1862
saloon1864
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > [noun] > other types of theatre
little theatre1569
private house1604
private playhouse1609
amphitheatre1611
private theatre1633
droll-house1705
summer theatre1761
show shop1772
national theatre1816
minor1821
legitimate1826
patent house1827
patent theatre1836
showboat1839
music theatre1849
penny-gaff1856
saloon theatre1864
leg shop1871
people's theatre1873
nickelodeon1888
repertory theatre1891
studio theatre1891
legit1897
blood-tub1906
rep1906
small-timer1910
grind house1923
theatrette1927
indie1928
vaude1933
straw hat1935
theatre-in-the-round1948
straw-hatter1949
bughouse1952
theatre-restaurant1958
dinner theatre1959
theatre club1961
black box1971
pub theatre1971
performance space1972
?1577 J. Northbrooke Spiritus est Vicarius Christi: Treat. Dicing 59 Those places..whiche are made vppe and builded for suche Playes and Enterludes, as the Theatre and Curtaine is.
1578 J. Stockwood Serm. Barthelmew Day 24 If you resorte to the Theatre, the Curtayne, and other places of Playes in the Citie.
1578 J. Stockwood Serm. Barthelmew Day 134 The gorgeous Playing place erected in the fieldes..as they please to haue it called, a Theatre.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II v. ii. 23 As in a Theater the eies of men, After a well-graced Actor leaues the stage, Are ydly bent on him that enters next. View more context for this quotation
1619 M. Drayton Odes in Poems (new ed.) 290 Till with shrill Claps the Theater doe shake.
a1658 J. Cleveland Christchurch Windows 215 Those that before our Glass Scaffolds prefer Would turn our Temple to a Theater.
1701 London Gaz. No. 3750/4 The Patentees of the Theater-Royal in Covent-Garden.
1788 Act 28 Geo. III c. 30 Such Trajedies, Comedies,..Plays, or Farces, as now are, or hereafter shall be acted, performed, or represented at either of the Patent or Licensed Theatres in the City of Westminster.
1864 J. Doran Their Majesties Serv. II. xi. Suppl. 186 List of the principal Dramatic Pieces produced at the Patent Theatres, from the Retirement of Garrick to the End of the Eighteenth Century.
1864 G. A. Sala Robson 14 Early in 1844 he accepted an engagement at the Grecian Saloon Theatre, in the City Road.
1888 Williams in Encycl. Brit. XXIII. 227/1 In the provinces patent theatres were established at Bath by 8 Geo. III. c. 10.
1888 Williams in Encycl. Brit. XXIII. 227/2 The exclusive rights of the patent theatres were also recognized in the Music Hall Act of 1752.
1892 Daily News 26 Sept. 2/4 To erect a roomy theatre of varieties—which seems to be modern English for music hall.
1902 Encycl. Brit. XXXI. 45/2 at Music Halls The ‘saloon theatres’ of the 'thirties were the music halls of to-day, and they owed their form and existence to the restrictive action of the patent theatres.
1902 Encycl. Brit. XXXI. 46/2 The saloon theatres rarely offended the patent houses, and when they did the law was soon put in motion.
1911 London Opinion 13 May 248/1 A picture theatre [where] such films as Foxhunting..the Boat Race..or the Derby are being shown.
b. North American and New Zealand. A picture theatre, cinema.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > film show > a cinema > [noun]
bioscope1902
picture house1906
picture theatre1906
kinema1908
Picturedrome1908
picture palace1908
cinema1911
movie1911
movie house1912
movie palace1913
movie theatre1913
theatre1923
Odeon1930
1923 H. Crane Let. 5 Oct. (1965) 149 [Chaplin] is here in New York..to see that the first film he has produced in it [sc. a new studio] gets over profitably... It's running now..at the ‘Lyric’ theatre.
1956 H. Kurnitz Invasion of Privacy ii. 20 Do I want to book that man's pictures in my theatres?
1966 G. W. Turner Eng. Lang. in Austral. & N.Z. viii. 176 ‘Theatre’ nearly always a ‘picture theatre’ or cinema in New Zealand.
1977 Chicago Tribune 2 Oct. (TV Week Suppl.) 2/1 I went to the theater and saw George Segal and Goldie Hawn in ‘The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox’.
3. transferred.† a. The stage or platform on which a play is acted. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > stage > [noun]
scaffoldc1405
stage1551
theatre1589
board1768
greenage1836
greengage1931
main stage1950
1589 J. Rider Bibliotheca Scholastica 1484 A theater, or scaffold whereon musitions, singers, or such like shew their cunning, orchestra.
1647 J. Trapp Comm. Epist. & Rev. (Rom. i. 20) Clearly seen: As in a mirrour, or as on a theatre.
1660 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. III. iii. 23 Some plead in the Forum, others act on the Theater.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth IV. 93 Like the ghost on a theatre.
b. A theatreful of spectators; the audience, or ‘house’, at a theatre. (Cf. front n. 7f.)
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > theatre-going > theatregoer > [noun] > theatre audience
theatre1604
house1663
business1755
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iii. ii. 28 The censure of which one [sc. the judicious], must in your allowance ore-weigh a whole Theater of others. View more context for this quotation
1634 T. Heywood Maidenhead Lost i, in Wks. (1874) IV. 112 'Twas a glorious sight, Fit for a Theater of Gods to see.
1894 W. E. Gladstone tr. Horace Odes xvii. [xx.] 29 The theatre thrice clapped you then.
c. Dramatic performances as a branch of art, or as an institution; the drama. Also, the drama of a particular time or place; dramatic art as a craft, the theatrical profession.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > [noun]
sock and buskin1597
scene1616
drama1661
theatre1668
dramatics1684
dramaturgy1801
proscenium1812
1668 J. Dryden Of Dramatick Poesie 27 By his encouragement, Corneil and some other Frenchmen reform'd their Theatre, (which before was as much below ours as it now surpasses it).
a1859 L. Hunt Shewe Faire Seeming v, in Poems (1860) 178 For much the stage he lov'd, and wise theàtre.
1880 Scribner's Monthly June 286 Their chief delight is the theater or opera.
1908 E. Terry Story of my Life xiv. 332 The life of an actress belongs to the theatre.
1908 E. Terry Story of my Life xiv. 333 I have had many friends outside the theatre, but I have had very little time to see them.
1938 R. G. Collingwood Princ. Art xiv. 323 In the Renaissance theatre collaboration between author and actors on the one hand, and audience on the other, was a lively reality.
1955 G. Gorer Exploring Eng. Char. ii. 14 Of the theatre I know of, only the Burmese drama of the second half of the nineteenth century approaches the Elizabethan in its search for horror.
1976 J. Archer Not Penny More xvi. 174 Harvey recognized Dame Flora Robson, the actress, who was being honoured for a distinguished lifetime in the theatre.
1977 S. Brett Star Trap iv. xiii. 143 He is a hard-working performer with a great belief in the live theatre.
d. Dramatic works collectively.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > a play > [noun] > collectively
theatre1640
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > written or printed text > [noun] > collectively
theatre1640
1640 C. G. in R. Brome Antipodes sig. A3 He [sc. Jonson] was often pleas'd, to feed your eare With the choice dainties of his Theatre.
1703 J. Addison Prol. to Steele's Tender Husband 9 But now Our British Theatre can boast Drolles of all kinds, a Vast Unthinking Hoast!
1880 Cornhill Mag. Aug. 156 Any two plays in the whole Shakespearian theatre.
1881 G. Saintsbury Dryden iii. 38 Except in Congreve's two editions and in the bulky edition of Scott, Dryden's theatre is unattainable.
e. Without article or plural (chiefly predicatively). With a descriptive adjective: theatrical or dramatic entertainment (of a specified quality); esp. in good theatre (see good adj. 1c); also used of an action or work of art that has the quality of (good, etc.) drama or theatrical technique; hence figurative, dramatic effect or sensation, spectacle, outward show without serious inward intent.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > ostentation > spectacular, sensational, or dramatic display > [noun]
stage-work1649
scenery1726
theatricalness1727
dramatizing1808
show1822
theatricality1837
pyrotechny1845
theatricalism1854
sensational1861
sensationalism1862
sensationism1862
theatricism1872
theatricalization1875
dramaticism1878
dramatism1880
spectacularity1883
spectacularism1888
theatre1926
son et lumière1968
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > [noun] > theatrical entertainment
theatry1513
theatre1926
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > [noun] > theatrical quality
staginess1864
theatre1926
1926 C. Morley Good Theatre 216 Don't be sore on them laughs, brother. Every one o' them screams is a meal ticket. That's what I call good theayter.
1927 Sunday Times 27 Feb. 6/4 ‘The Letter’ is superb theatre throughout.
1934 Sun (Baltimore) 1 June 12/1 Superb tennis and ‘good theater’ have never been so generously mixed in the performance of any other player.
1939 A. Thirkell Before Lunch iv. 96 It would have been rather too much theatre to awaken heroine with soft music, don't you think?
1948 A. J. P. Taylor Habsburg Monarchy i. 12 Austrian Baroque civilisation..was grandiose, full of superficial life, yet sterile within: it was theatre, not reality.
1951 M. McLuhan Mech. Bride 89 (advt.) They bring real ‘theater’ to a sales presentation.
1955 W. W. Denlinger Compl. Boston ii. 9 Some of the competition exercises are almost useless; some I consider pure ‘theatre’ and others are practical.
1958 Listener 2 Oct. 499/2 You have to admit that the Old City is good theatre.
1965 Listener 21 Oct. 630/2 Standing spotlit at the end of a great black-draped room all by itself, it [sc. a piece of sculpture]..was above all dramatic. It was, in its way, even great theatre.
1975 J. O'Faolain Women in Wall xii. 211 She encourages zeal and all she gets is theatre... This sort of thing was new to the convent.
f.
(a) theatre-in-the-round n. a form of theatrical presentation in which the audience is seated in a circle around the stage or on at least three of its sides.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > [noun] > other types of theatre
little theatre1569
private house1604
private playhouse1609
amphitheatre1611
private theatre1633
droll-house1705
summer theatre1761
show shop1772
national theatre1816
minor1821
legitimate1826
patent house1827
patent theatre1836
showboat1839
music theatre1849
penny-gaff1856
saloon theatre1864
leg shop1871
people's theatre1873
nickelodeon1888
repertory theatre1891
studio theatre1891
legit1897
blood-tub1906
rep1906
small-timer1910
grind house1923
theatrette1927
indie1928
vaude1933
straw hat1935
theatre-in-the-round1948
straw-hatter1949
bughouse1952
theatre-restaurant1958
dinner theatre1959
theatre club1961
black box1971
pub theatre1971
performance space1972
1948 Sat. Rev. 3 Apr. 24/1 ‘Theatre-in-the-round’ is the way it is described by John Rosenfeld, who is not a czar but the czar in matters dramatic and musical in the Southwest.
1950 Sun (Baltimore) 8 June 16/1 The New York debut of theatre-in-the-round was off to a rousing start last week.
1967 Oxf. Compan. Theatre (ed. 3) 941/2 Modern theatre-in-the-round first came into prominence in Russia, where in the 1930s Okhlopkov in his Realistic Theatre produced a number of Soviet plays on stages set up in the central area with the audience pressing close on all sides.
1980 Times Lit. Suppl. 5 Sept. 973/1 Audience involvement was not new to Tudor Drama: medieval theatre-in-the-round had already thrived on it.
(b) Theatre of Cruelty n. [translating French théâtre de la cruauté (A. Artaud (1932) Manifeste du théâtre de la cruauté)] a collective term for plays in which the dramatist seeks to communicate a sense of pain, suffering, and evil through the portrayal of extreme physical violence.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > [noun] > other types or branches
satyric1693
legitimate1826
boulevard theatre1838
satyr drama1839
tragicomic1842
costume drama1847
Sardoodledom1895
slice of life1895
cape and sword (also cape and cloak)1898
total theatre1935
epic theatre1938
Theatre of Cruelty1954
music theatre1957
psychodramatics1957
reader's theatre1957
metatheatre1960
Theatre of the Absurd1961
nautanki1962
Theatre of Fact1966
1954 E. Bentley In Search of Theater ii. vii. 198 Antonin Artaud's ‘theatre of cruelty’, that theater of Dionysian energy and visionary power.
1958 M. C. Richards tr. Artaud Theater & its Double vi. 79 ‘Theater of cruelty’ means a theatre difficult and cruel..on the level of performance, it is not the cruelty we can exercise upon each other..but the much more terrible and necessary cruelty which things can exercise against us.
1964 Punch 21 Oct. 627/3 To watch the ‘Theatre of Cruelty’ season safely on the audience side.
1973 J. Elsom Erotic Theatre x. 190 The one adjective which cannot be used to describe the Theatre of Cruelty evening is, however, unexpected.
(c) Theatre of the Absurd n. a collective term for plays (chiefly French) portraying the futility and anguish of man's struggle in a senseless and inexplicable world (cf. absurd n.); also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > [noun] > other types or branches
satyric1693
legitimate1826
boulevard theatre1838
satyr drama1839
tragicomic1842
costume drama1847
Sardoodledom1895
slice of life1895
cape and sword (also cape and cloak)1898
total theatre1935
epic theatre1938
Theatre of Cruelty1954
music theatre1957
psychodramatics1957
reader's theatre1957
metatheatre1960
Theatre of the Absurd1961
nautanki1962
Theatre of Fact1966
1961 M. Esslin Theatre of Absurd 17 The Theatre of the Absurd strives to express its sense of the senselessness of the human condition and the inadequacy of the rational approach by the open abandonment of rational devices and discursive thought.
1962 Listener 13 Dec. 1027/1 The theatre of the absurd, whose master remains Camus.
1963 Sunday Times 24 Feb. 24/5 They deserved to win, but two of the goals they scored came straight from the theatre of the absurd.
1977 P. Johnson Enemies of Society xix. 253 We must not be surprised to find that the United Nations..should have become the World Theatre of the Absurd, a global madhouse where lunatic falsehood reigns.
(d) Theatre of Fact n. documentary drama.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > [noun] > other types or branches
satyric1693
legitimate1826
boulevard theatre1838
satyr drama1839
tragicomic1842
costume drama1847
Sardoodledom1895
slice of life1895
cape and sword (also cape and cloak)1898
total theatre1935
epic theatre1938
Theatre of Cruelty1954
music theatre1957
psychodramatics1957
reader's theatre1957
metatheatre1960
Theatre of the Absurd1961
nautanki1962
Theatre of Fact1966
1966 Punch 7 Dec. 864/1 Together they make up the most successful example so far of the Theatre of Fact, a gripping story, the clash of widely different personalities and many sharp remarks on the relationship between Science and Government.
1970 Times 9 Feb. 5 Murderous Angels is another example of the Theatre of Fact... The two main characters are Dag Hammarskjold and Patrice Lumumba.
1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia XVIII. 232/2 The Brecht approach to stage presentation has something in common with the Theatre of Fact.
4. A temporary platform, dais, or other raised stage, for any public ceremony.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > high position > [noun] > quality of being raised or elevated > raised level surface or platform
plancher1295
staging1323
cagea1400
scaffoldc1405
mounture?a1425
halpace1507
wharf1533
platform1557
plat1559
foot pace1571
theatre1587
scenec1612
estrade1696
suggestum1705
tribune1763
scaffolding1787
estrado1838
dais1861
deck1872
society > communication > manifestation > showing to the sight > exposure to public view > [noun] > place for > platform
scaffoldc1405
theatre1587
scaffolding1787
1587 A. Fleming et al. Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) III. Contin. 1334/1 It was found better for them by the aduise of the prince of Orange..to tarie for his highnesse vpon a theater which was prepared for him.
1621 Execution at Prague in Harl. Misc. (Malh.) III. 410 The theatrum, or scaffold of timber, which was to be erected, and whereupon the..execution of the prisoners..was to be performed.]
1680 London Gaz. No. 1475/3 Then his Lordship conducted their Royal Hignesses to the Hall, at the South end whereof, was erected a Theater of 42 Foot in length, and 40 in breadth, covered with Carpets and rising five steps from the ground.
1696 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Theater,..said in general, of any Scaffold erected for the performance or sight of any publick Ceremony.
1820 A. Taylor Glory of Regality 178 A large platform called the Theatre; in the midst of this are placed the royal thrones.
1838 Order Coron. Q. Vict. The Queen..passes up through the Body of the Church,..and so up the Stairs to the Theatre.
1902 Westm. Gaz. 11 Aug. 4/2 According to the original order of service the King and Queen would have ascended the steps to the ‘Theatre’—a square platform which had been erected in the central space under the ‘Lantern’.
5.
a. A room or hall fitted with tiers of rising seats facing the platform, lecturer's table, or president's seat, for lectures, scientific demonstrations, etc. the (Sheldonian) Theatre (at Oxford), the building in which the great assemblies of the University are held, and honorary degrees are given at the annual Commemoration.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > place of education > educational buildings > [noun] > lecture room
auditory1606
theatre1613
lecture-room1817
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage vi. xi. 521 That is now rather become a Sepulcher of Sciences, then a Theater, there being not above five Students.
1669 A. Wood Life & Times (1892) II. 165 Theater consecrated. The Archbishop's [sc. Sheldon's] letter in English (read in Convocation) wherby he tells the vice-chancellor and Convocation that he had layd by 2000li. for a purchase to keep the Theater in repayr.
1721 N. Amhurst Terræ-filius Ded. It is very uncertain when Terræ-Filius will be able to regain his antient privileges in the Sheldonian theatre.
1910–11 Kelly's Oxford Directory 53/1 Of the many ceremonials and receptions which have taken place in the theatre, the most imposing..were the visit of the allied sovereigns in 1814 and the installation of the last five chancellors.
b. A room in a hospital specially designed for surgical operations (originally one resembling a theatre, for the performance of such operations before observers); = operating theatre n. at operating n. Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > places for the sick or injured > [noun] > hospital or infirmary > operating theatre
theatrec1660
operating theatre1824
butcher's shop1890
Surgicenter1969
c1660 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1641 (1955) II. 53 I was much pleasd with a sight of their Anatomy Schole, Theater & Repository adjoyning.
1766 J. Entick Surv. London in New Hist. London IV. 264 The surgeons erected a theatre in the Old~bailey.
1823 Lancet 5 Oct. 3/1 At half-past Seven this Theatre was crowded in every part, by upwards of four hundred Students, of the most respectable description; in fact we never before witnessed so genteel a Surgical class.
1910–11 Kelly's Oxford Directory 37/2 The Radcliffe Infirmary and County Hospital... A new operating theatre was erected in 1898.
1935 N. Marsh & H. Jellett Nursing-home Murder iii. 38 In the anteroom of the theatre two nurses and a sister prepared for the operation.
1976 J. Archer Not Penny More xii. 129 Although the hospital had only some 200 beds, the theatre was of the highest standard.
6.
a. figurative. Something represented as a theatre (in sense 1 or 2) in relation to a course of action performed or a spectacle displayed; esp. a place or region where some thing or action is presented to public view (literally or metaphorically).
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > showing to the sight > exposure to public view > [noun] > place for
theatre1581
show window1785
showcase1917
goldfish bowl1924
1581 in Confer. (1584) ii. sig. K iv They..are set before all mens eyes, and in the middest of the Theatre of the whole world.
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) ii. vii. 137 This wide and vniuersall Theater Presents more wofull Pageants then the Sceane Wherein we play in. View more context for this quotation
1639 T. Fuller Hist. Holy Warre v. x. 246 Asia the theatre whereon they [sc. miracles] were acted, is at a great distance.
1684 T. Burnet Theory of Earth i. 173 Earth was the first theater upon which mortals appear'd and acted.
1713 E. Young Poem on Last Day i. 4 Wide Theater! where Tempests play at large.
1769 W. Robertson Hist. Charles V III. xi. 267 A theatre on which he might display his great qualities.
1798 G. Washington Let. in Writings (1893) XIV. 21 The propriety..of my again appearing on a Public theatre, after declaring the sentiments I did in my Valedictory Address.
1831 D. Brewster Life I. Newton xiii. 219 An event..which..placed him upon the theatre of public life.
1877 Bryant Ruins Italica ii A tragic theatre, where Time Acts his great fable.
b. A place where some action proceeds; the scene of action. Cf. scene n., stage n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > [noun] > in which something takes place or prevails > scene of public or intense action
theatre1615
arena1817
hot chair1927
hot seat1930
1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey Ded. sig. A vj The most renowned countries and kingdomes:..the theaters of valour and heroicall actions.
1654 tr. M. Martini Bellum Tartaricum 198 Which Country was the Theater of all his Brutalities.
1720 J. Ozell et al. tr. R. A. de Vertot Hist. Revol. Rom. Republic II. xi. 194 The Theatre of a Civil War.
1774 J. Adams in J. Adams & A. Adams Familiar Lett. (1876) 26 To-morrow we reach the theatre of action.
1830 C. Lyell Princ. Geol. I. 199 The theatre of violent earthquakes.
1879 G. H. Mendell & W. P. Craighill tr. A. H. de Jomini Art of War iii. 75 The theater of operations of an army embraces all the territory it may desire to invade and all that it may be necessary to defend.
c. A particular region or one of the separate regions of the world in which a war is being fought. Also theatre of war.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > war > [noun] > place of war
seat of war1673
theatre of war1914
1914 W. S. Churchill Let. 15 Oct. in M. Gilbert Winston S. Churchill (1972) III. Compan. i. 193 The hand of war will I expect be heavy upon us in the Western Theatre during the next four weeks.
1928 E. Blunden Undertones of War xv. 160 (heading) Theatre of War.
1940 W. S. Churchill Into Battle (1941) 261 Far larger operations no doubt impend in the Middle East theatre.
1958 E. Birney Turvey vii. 76 Turvey straightened his helmet and marched down the gangplank into the European Theatre of War.
1961 G. F. Kennan Russia & West viii. 118 Real fighting took place between Allied and Bolshevik forces only in one theater, in the Russian north.
1977 C. McCullough Thorn Birds xv. 352 The biggest and most decisive battle of the North African theater had been fought.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > book > kind of book > textbook or book of instructions > [noun] > small or concise
handbookOE
manualc1475
porteous1508
enchiridion1541
theatre?1566
vade-mecum1629
handybook?1786
CliffsNotes1959
?1566 J. Alday tr. P. Boaistuau Theatrum Mundi (title) Theatrum Mundi, the Theatre or rule of the world, wherein may be sene the running race and course of euerye mans life, as touching miserie and felicity.
1599 R. Allott (title) Wits Theater of the little World.
1611 Speed (title) The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine: Presenting an exact Geography of the Kingdomes of England, Scotland, Ireland, and the Iles adioyning.
1640 Parkinson (title) Theatrum Botanicum, The Theater of Plantes, or An Universall and Compleate Herball.
1657 S. Purchas (title) A theatre of politicall flying-insects.
1704 R. Monteith Theater of Mortality (title) A Theater of Mortality; Or, the Illustrious Inscriptions..upon the several Monuments..within the Grey-friars Church-Yard [etc.] of Edinburgh.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > [noun] > sight or spectacle
sightc950
showingOE
spectacle1434
inspectionc1460
show1536
object1588
eyemark1595
theatre1606
theorya1626
exhibit1676
exhibition1786
something to see (or look at)1808
eyeful1858
spectacular1890
1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iv. 10 All cast their eyes on this sad Theater.
1640 Petit. A. Leighton in Chandler Hist. Persec. (1736) 370 He was made a Theatre of Misery to Men and Angels.
1646 D. Evance Noble Order 38 If there be any that are made a Theature unto the world,..it is such as Paul [cf. 1 Cor. iv. 9].
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
a.
theatre audience n.
ΚΠ
1936 Vogue 18 Mar. 101/2 The London theatre audience is still all dressed in black and white.
1977 S. Brett Star Trap xiii. 143 It doesn't bear comparison with the contact you can get with a live theatre audience. That's electrifying.
theatre-bill n.
ΚΠ
1895 G. B. Shaw in Sat. Rev. 5 Jan. 10/1 It is not a work of art at all: it is a mere contrivance for filling a theatre bill.
theatre-bodice n.
ΚΠ
1897 Globe 18 Feb. 6/3 The fashionable theatre bodice.
theatre coat n.
ΚΠ
1897 Globe 18 Feb. 6/3 Very handsome theatre coats and jackets are worn at the play in London.
theatre-combat n.
ΚΠ
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Coeste,..vsed by the auncient Grecians in their Theater combats.
theatre hat n.
ΚΠ
1930 Daily Tel. 7 Apr. 7/6 The ‘Juliet’ cap idea is to be found in the little theatre hats worn abroad.
theatre-haunter n.
ΚΠ
1856 C. Kingsley Plays & Puritans in Misc. (1860) II. 137 Theatre-haunters were turning Romanists.
theatre-house n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > [noun]
houseOE
playhouseOE
playing-placea1375
showplace1560
show hall1562
theatre?1577
theatre-house1578
cockpita1616
stage-house1638
show house1674
saloon1747
theatrum1786
spellkenc1800
hippodrome1811
spell1819
show-box1822
1578 T. White Serm. Pawles Crosse 3 Nov. 1577 46 Beholde the sumptuous Theatre houses.
1977 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 29 Sept. 12/4 On the rickety stages of a thousand provincial theater houses, alternative worlds blazed like magic by limelight.
theatre-light n.
ΚΠ
1873 Routledge's Young Gentleman's Mag. Apr. 282/2 Theatre lights are lime-light jets fitted into square boxes.
theatre man n.
ΚΠ
1933 P. Godfrey Back-stage viii. 112 Every experienced theatre-man knows that there is ample room for criticism inside the theatre.
1961 Guardian 6 Mar. 9/4 Some knowing theatre-men say it would have flopped..even a few years ago.
theatre people n.
ΚΠ
1952 E. Wilson Shores of Light 382 I did not want to see the theater people again; I could not face another evening.
theatre-pit n.
theatre-poster n.
theatre stall n.
ΚΠ
1907 G. B. Shaw Let. Dec. (1972) II. 739 With..society out of town during the parliamentary recess, theatre stalls have been empty.
theatre-ticket n.
ΚΠ
1902 A. C. Hegan Mrs Wiggs vi. 73 Couldn't you use a whole load [of kindling], if I was to take it out in..theayter tickets?
1980 P. G. Winslow Counsellor Heart v. 94 Up for a day in town, to get theatre tickets..and then go shopping.
theatre-train n.
ΚΠ
1905 Longman's Mag. Apr. 501 The people you meet in buses and trams and theatre-trains.
theatre-tram n.
theatre-wrap n.
b.
theatre-like adj. and adv.
ΚΠ
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §253 Some hills that stand encompassed theatre-like.
c.
theatre-loving adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > theatre-going > theatregoer > [adjective] > theatre-loving
stage-smitten1682
stage-struck1813
stage-stricken1838
theatre-loving1846
1846 ‘G. Eliot’ Let. 1 June (1954) I. 219 Please to come in a very mischievous, unconscientious, theatre-loving humour.
theatre-stricken adj.
ΚΠ
1846 W. M. Thackeray Laman Blanchard in Wks. (1900) XIII. 477 The young fellow,..theatre-stricken, poetry-stricken.
C2. Special combinations.
theatre club n. a theatre for which tickets are sold only to members (esp. in order to circumvent the censorship of public performances).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > [noun] > other types of theatre
little theatre1569
private house1604
private playhouse1609
amphitheatre1611
private theatre1633
droll-house1705
summer theatre1761
show shop1772
national theatre1816
minor1821
legitimate1826
patent house1827
patent theatre1836
showboat1839
music theatre1849
penny-gaff1856
saloon theatre1864
leg shop1871
people's theatre1873
nickelodeon1888
repertory theatre1891
studio theatre1891
legit1897
blood-tub1906
rep1906
small-timer1910
grind house1923
theatrette1927
indie1928
vaude1933
straw hat1935
theatre-in-the-round1948
straw-hatter1949
bughouse1952
theatre-restaurant1958
dinner theatre1959
theatre club1961
black box1971
pub theatre1971
performance space1972
1961 R. Williams Long Revol. ii. vi. 267 The growth of ‘free theatres’ and theatre-clubs.
1978 R. Holles Spawn iv. 31 Marianne had met him..at a theatre club in Notting Hill Gate.
theatre-floor n. see quot.
ΚΠ
1895 I. K. Funk et al. Standard Dict. Eng. Lang. II. Theater-floor, an inclined floor in a public building, as a lecture-hall, affording a better view of the platform from rear seats.
theatre-goer n. one who frequents theatres.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > theatre-going > theatregoer > [noun]
high-flyer1719
theatre-goer1870
theatrist1889
1870 Boston Transcript 1 Nov. 2/4 If the theatre is not crowded.., we shall be much disappointed in our estimation of the taste of Boston theatre-goers.
1874 Macmillan's Mag. Aug. 281 Theatre-goers..who have long winced over the pale and unwholesome jokes of patchy vaudevilles.
theatre-going n. and adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > theatre-going > [noun]
theatre-going1846
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > theatre-going > [adjective]
theatre-going1846
1846 B. I. Lane Myst. Tobacco 11 The classical theological, feat-haunting, theatre-going, card-playing Reverend Gentleman.
1852 ‘G. Eliot’ Let. 15 June (1954) II. 36 Between theatre-going and proof~reading, my spiritual eyes are burning as dim and bleared as gas-lights.
1853 Househ. Words VI. 63 The Parisians..are evidently a more theatre-going people than the Londoners.
1883 Harper's Mag. June 126/1 Theatre-going and..card-playing are..permitted.
theatre-land n. the district of a town (spec. of London) in which most of the theatres are situated.
ΚΠ
1905 Daily Chron. 28 Dec. 4/7 [St. Martin's parish] Bishop Burnet described as ‘the greatest cure in England’. ‘Theatreland’ we name it now.
1907 H. Wyndham Flare of Footlights xxxvi The comfortable little house [the Sheridan theatre], situated in the very heart of theatre-land.
theatre-list n. Medicine a list of patients about to undergo surgical operations.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > patient > [noun] > list of patients about to undergo surgery
theatre-list1964
1964 G. L. Cohen What's Wrong with Hospitals? i. 17 A student will undertake the pre-medication of patients on theatre-list.
theatre nurse n. Medicine a hospital nurse qualified to assist in the operating theatre.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > healer > nurse > [noun] > other types
man-nurse1530
probationer nurse1584
parish nurse1716
day nurse1759
school nurse1836
Gamp1846
hospital nurse1848
pupil nurse1861
male nurse1874
district nurse1883
relief nurse1884
casualty nurse1885
bayman1888
maid nurse1895
charge-nurse1896
ward nurse1899
health visitor1901
practice nurse1912
community nurse1922
scrub nurse1927
theatre nurse1934
para-nurse1942
nurse practitioner1967
rehab nurse1977
1934 P. Bottome Private Worlds xxxi. 302 Matron..is a first-rate surgical nurse... The theatre nurse is about too, in case we want her.
1959 T. S. Eliot Elder Statesman ii. 45 I fell in love with him During an appendicitis operation! I was a theatre nurse.
theatre organ n. = cinema organ n. at cinema n. Compounds 3.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > types of organ > [noun] > cinema organ
cinema organ1913
theatre organ1930
1930 R. Whitworth Electric Organ xvi. 156 The building of theatre organs has..helped to bring electric..actions to their present state of efficiency.
1977 Lancs. Life Nov. 101/1 The story of Ronald Curtis and theatre organs is in effect the chronicle of a love affair which began in his childhood.
theatre organist n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > instrumentalist > keyboard player > [noun] > organist > players of specific types of organ
organ-beater1852
calliopist1857
theatre organist1932
1932 R. Whitworth Cinema & Theatre Organ ix. 105 The cinema or theatre organist fills a very important role.
theatre party n. originally U.S. a party in which the guests, besides being entertained at dinner or supper, are taken to a theatre.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > social event > social gathering > party > [noun] > party where guests eat and go on to a theatre
theatre party1883
1883 Cent. Mag. Sept. 787/1 A report..of Mrs. Dash's theater party.
1884 L. Troubridge Life amongst Troubridges (1966) 170 To a theatre party on the 15th and supper after.
1885 A. Forbes Souvenirs of Continents 239 A New York ‘theatre party’.
1903 Smart Set 9 145/1 I've given theatre-parties to them, and watched them rustle in and fill box after box.
1962 J. F. Powers Morte d'Urban viii. 164 The Cathedral curates..wangled an invitation to the Saturday-morning theatre-parties.
theatre-restaurant n. a restaurant where theatrical entertainment is provided for customers.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > [noun] > other types of theatre
little theatre1569
private house1604
private playhouse1609
amphitheatre1611
private theatre1633
droll-house1705
summer theatre1761
show shop1772
national theatre1816
minor1821
legitimate1826
patent house1827
patent theatre1836
showboat1839
music theatre1849
penny-gaff1856
saloon theatre1864
leg shop1871
people's theatre1873
nickelodeon1888
repertory theatre1891
studio theatre1891
legit1897
blood-tub1906
rep1906
small-timer1910
grind house1923
theatrette1927
indie1928
vaude1933
straw hat1935
theatre-in-the-round1948
straw-hatter1949
bughouse1952
theatre-restaurant1958
dinner theatre1959
theatre club1961
black box1971
pub theatre1971
performance space1972
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eating place > [noun] > eating-house or restaurant > with entertainment
café chantant1854
night box1938
theatre-restaurant1958
1958 Hotel & Catering Rev. Oct. 35/1 The only theatre restaurant of its size and type in the world.
theatre seat n. (a) a seat of which the bottom is made to fold back when not occupied, so as to leave a wider passage; a tip-up seat used in theatres, also on tram-cars, etc.; (b) a seat that may be booked for a performance at a theatre.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > auditorium > [noun] > seat or place
room1592
theatre seata1911
a1911 D. G. Phillips Susan Lenox (1917) II. xviii. 421 It takes a genius to write a clever play that'll draw the damn fools who buy theater seats.
1982 C. Castle Folies Bergère vii. 254 As a student..the only theatre seat he could afford was in the gallery.
theatre sister n. Medicine in a hospital, nursing-home, etc., a sister qualified to assist in the operating theatre.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > healer > nurse > [noun] > sister > types of
out-sister1565
sister tutor1918
casualty sister1925
theatre sister1935
1935 N. Marsh & H. Jellett Nursing-home Murder iii. 37 Tell the theatre sister I'll operate as soon as they are ready.
1976 C. Storr Unnatural Fathers i. 10 The staff nurse on the surgical side who deputised for the theatre sister.
theatre suit n. Fashion (see quot. 1969).
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > set or suit of clothes > [noun] > for specific people > for women > other
ensemble1802
Bloomer costume1851
coat and skirt1895
blouse suit1905
jumper suit1908
suit dress1917
tailleur1923
twin set1937
salwar-kameez1955
co-ordinates1959
theatre suit1964
trikini1967
1964 Mrs. L. B. Johnson White House Diary (1970) 202 I changed into my black theater suit en route.
1969 R. T. Wilcox Dict. Costume 107/2 Dinner or theater suit, the feminine ‘covered-up’ look for evening of the 1930's and '40's, consisting generally of a long black skirt, a delicate blouse, a cummerbund and short jacket.
theatre workshop n. a non-commercial theatre company concerned esp. with experimental and unconventional theatrical productions; originally and spec. a company founded by Joan Littlewood and others in 1945 and based in the East End of London from 1953 to 1973.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > actor > [noun] > company of actors > types of company
commonwealth1811
fit-up1864
stock company1864
repertory company1885
road company1885
stock1916
playshop1926
repertory1933
theatre workshop1945
rep1959
1945 Westmorland Gaz. 4 Aug. 4/9 Addresses were given by Miss Joan Littlewood..now in Westmorland with the Theatre Workshop, a new venture aimed at furthering the arts in local towns.
1962 Guardian 7 Nov. 7/6 A theatre workshop is about to be started in Dublin.
1973 E. Bullins Theme is Blackness 10 Some of the Black Arts approaches and techniques that Marvin X and I had developed in revolutionary theater and literature workshops on the Coast.
1981 Sunday Tel. 20 Dec. 16/5 The Arts Council refuses it [sc. the D'Oyly Carte Company] a grant— preferring its own East End revolutionary theatre workshops.
C3. attributive. Designating nuclear weapons for use within a ‘theatre’ (at present thought of as Europe) as opposed to intercontinental or strategic weapons (cf. strategic adj. 1d), or their targets.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > [adjective] > nuclear > qualities of
clean1956
low-yield1957
strategic1957
tactical1957
small-yield1959
theatre1977
INF1981
1977 Observer 3 Apr. 12/4 In a tactical role, Backfire..is ideally suited to attacking local or ‘theatre’ targets in Western Europe.
1978 Orbis 22 309 The United States has deployed a varied array of theater-nuclear weapons and delivery systems in Europe.
1980 Daily Tel. 18 June 1/2 Theatre nuclear missiles..have a longer range than battlefield weapons but cannot be fired as far as inter~continental missiles.
1983 Chicago Sun-Times 26 Nov. 5/2 ‘What worries us is the buildup of theater nuclear forces in Europe,’ Defense Undersecretary Fred C. Ikle said.
Derivatives
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > actor > [noun]
playera1400
game-player1533
comedy player1550
stage-player1561
actor1566
histrion?1566
comediant1568
representer1579
stager1580
presentera1586
histrio1589
stageman1589
gamester1596
player-man1596
Roscius1600
stagerite1602
theaterian1602
comedian1603
scenic1612
representant1622
play-actor1633
parta1643
histrionic1647
representator1653
artist1714
mummer1773
actor-manager1826
Thespian1827
impersonator1830
personifier1835
player-manager1895
thesp1962
luvvie1988
1602 T. Dekker Satiro-mastix sig. I3v One of these part-takers..(Players I meane) Theaterians pouch-mouth, Stage-walkers.
ˈtheatre v. (intransitive) to go to the theatre.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > theatre-going > go to theatre [verb (intransitive)]
theatricalize1833
theatre1896
1896 Pall Mall Mag. 495 If a woman dances, and drives, and theatres,..she keeps herself too chronically tired to think.
1906 Daily Chron. 26 June 4/7 Our round of entertainments..[does] not cease till we have lunched, motored, tea'd, dined, theatred, and supped.
ˈtheatredom n. the domain or sphere of things theatrical and persons connected therewith; also, the district in which theatres are situated.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > [noun] > theatrical world
stage-land1885
theatredom1890
1890 Daily News 29 Dec. 3/1 London theatredom,..—if we may be allowed the expression—is, roughly speaking, about ten miles wide by six miles deep.
1904 Westm. Gaz. 5 May 1/3 Those versed in the inner life of London theatredom.
ˈtheatreful n. as many as a theatre will hold.
ΚΠ
1902 19th Cent. Aug. 284 Get together a theatreful of people to hear it.
ˈtheatreless adj. without a theatre or theatrical entertainments.
ΚΠ
1853 Chambers's Jrnl. 20 409/2 The dreary prospect of a supperless, theatreless Lent.
ˈtheatrewards adv. towards a theatre.
ΚΠ
1897 Daily News 3 May 8/6 Walking slowly theatrewards.
ˈtheatre-wise adv. in the manner of a theatre.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > inclination > [adverb] > slopingly > sloping upwards all round
theatre-wise1629
amphitheatrically1716
theatrically1751
1629 tr. Herodian Hist. (1635) 164 A goodly spacious Plaine..lying under a row of Hills, Theatre wise.
1737 S. Berington Mem. G. di Lucca 242 Two Rows of young Men and Women, placed Theatre-wise one above another.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
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