Colosseum

[ kol-uh-see-uhm ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an ancient amphitheater in Rome, begun a.d. c70 by Vespasian, having the form of an oval 617 by 512 feet (188 by 156 meters).
(lowercase) coliseum.

Colosseum

/ ˌ��ɒ��əˈ��ɪə�� /

noun

an amphitheatre in Rome built about 75–80 ad

colosseum

/ ˌ��ɒ��əˈ��ɪə�� /

noun

a variant spelling of coliseum

Colosseum

A great arena of ancient Rome , which seated fifty thousand. It is in ruins today, but its former glory can still be imagined.

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Notes

According to tradition, persecuted Christians (see also Christian ) were fed to lions in the Colosseum for the entertainment of the Romans. ( See also bread and circuses .)

Some of the contests staged in the Colosseum were between gladiators, who fought with swords; some were between people and animals. The arena could even be flooded for mock sea battles.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of Colosseum¹

< Latin, noun use of neuter of ��Ǳ��ǲ��ŧ�ܲ� gigantic < Greek ��Ǳ��ǲ��î�ǲ�, equivalent to koloss ( ó�� ) colossus + -iaios adj. suffix

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It is a short walk from some of Rome's most recognisable landmarks like the Colosseum, and a stone's throw from the city's endlessly bustling and chaotic central Termini station.

From

The King and Queen will see more of Rome's ancient monuments on Tuesday, including a trip to the Colosseum.

From

Over the next three days, the royal couple will visit the Colosseum, watch a joint Italian and UK airforce flypast and learn about Italian slow food.

From

Attendees leaving the Colosseum on Tuesday night mused that the presentation gave them confidence in the studio’s slate of films.

From

"It is not wildly different from when the Colosseum was built 2,000 years ago", he says.

From

colossal Colossian

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