Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- a plural of gymnasium1.
noun
- a plural of gymnasium2.
noun, plural gym·na·si·ums, gym·na·si·a [jim-ney-zee-uh, -zhuh] /dʒɪmˈneɪ zi ə, -ʒə/.
- a building or room designed and equipped for indoor sports, exercise, or physical education.
- a place where Greek youths met for exercise and discussion.
noun, plural gym·na·si·ums, gym·na·si·a [gim-nah-zee-uh] /gɪmˈnɑ zi ə/.
- (often initial capital letter) (in continental Europe, especially Germany) a classical school preparatory to the universities.
noun plural -siums or -sia (-zɪə)
- a large room or hall equipped with bars, weights, ropes, etc, for games or physical training
- (in various European countries) a secondary school that prepares pupils for university
1590s, “place of exercise,” from Latin gymnasium “school for gymnastics,” from Greek gymnasion “public place where athletic exercises are practiced; gymnastics school,” in plural, “bodily exercises,” from gymnazein “to exercise or train,” literally or figuratively, literally “to train naked,” from gymnos “naked” (see naked). Introduced to German 15c. as a name for “high school” (more or less paralleling a sense in Latin); in English it has remained purely athletic.