arena

Pronunciation

• IPA: /əˈɹiːnə/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin harēna (“sand, sandy place”) (also spelled arēna),^[2][3][4] a word of uncertain origin, perhaps Etruscan.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The central space of a Roman amphitheatre where combats and shows were held (early 17th century).^[5][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The floor of the Roman amphitheatre was strewn with sand to soak up the blood of the combatants, and so the word for sand came to mean the place of combat.^[2][3] The figurative sense “a scene of contest” appears by 1814,^[3][5] and “any sphere of public activity” in 1798.^[5] Today it most often names a large building for sports and entertainment.^[2][4]

Timeline

• 1600 – earliest date given by Merriam-Webster and Barnhart.^[4][6]
• 1627 – the central area of an amphitheatre.^[5]
• 1798 – a sphere of public action.^[5]
• 1814 – a scene or sphere of conflict.^[5][3]
• 1944 – attributive, of a style of theatre with the stage surrounded by the audience.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A large building or enclosed area for sports events and other spectacles.
2. A field of conflict or activity.
3. The central area of a Roman amphitheatre, used for combats and shows.

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins