gymnasium English · revision 168
5 Oct 2026, 22:09 by bogdan “Add pronunciation, sense history, timeline, meanings, word family, related words” current version
Changes in this edit
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+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /d͡ʒɪmˈneɪ.zi.əm/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)
+
==Etymology==
First recorded in 1598,^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989) [[bor|la|gymnasium|t=exercise ground, school]],^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary) [[der|grc|γυμνάσιον|tr=gumnásion]],^(OED 1989)^(Wiktionary) [[der|grc|γυμνάζω|tr=gumnázō|t=to train naked]],^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate) [[der|grc|γυμνός|tr=gumnós|t=naked]],^(OED 1989)^(AHD) because Greek athletes trained naked.^(Wiktionary) The Greek word is ultimately [[der|ine-pro|*nogw-|t=naked]].^(Etymonline)
− In German the word has been used since the 15th century for a kind of high school; in English it has remained purely athletic.^(Etymonline)
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ A place or building for athletic exercise or instruction.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ The gymnasium was a feature of all ancient Greek communities: at first merely an open space, later with extensive facilities and training for the mind as well as the body.^(Etymonline) Hence its use in German from the 15th century for a kind of high school;^(Etymonline) in English the word has remained purely athletic,^(Etymonline) though it is used of continental European secondary schools that prepare students for university.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1598 – “a place for athletic exercise”.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)
+ * 1691 – a continental school preparing students for university.^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # A room or building equipped for indoor sports and exercise.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # A secondary school in some European countries, especially Germany, that prepares students for university.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # ''(history)'' A place where the youths of ancient Greece exercised and met for discussion.^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[gymnasial]]
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[gymnastics]]
+ * [[gymno-]]
==References==