proscenium
English
WOTD – 4 October 2009
Alternative forms
- proscænium
Etymology
From Latin proscaenium (“in front of the scenery”), from Ancient Greek προσκήνιον (proskḗnion), from πρό (pró, “before”) + σκηνή (skēnḗ, “scene building”).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /pɹəʊˈsiː.ni.əm/
Audio (UK) (file)
- (US) IPA(key): /pɹoʊˈsiː.ni.əm/
Noun
proscenium (plural prosceniums or proscenia)
- (in a modern theater) The stage area between the curtain and the orchestra.
- (in an ancient theater) The stage area immediately in front of the scene building.
- (in an ancient theater) The row of columns at the front the scene building, at first directly behind the circular orchestra but later upon a stage.
- 1936, Roy C. Flickinger, The Greek Theater and Its Drama, 4th edition, page 58
- The front of the scene-building and of the parascenia came to be decorated with a row of columns, the proscenium (πρό, "before"+σκηνή).
- 1936, Roy C. Flickinger, The Greek Theater and Its Drama, 4th edition, page 58
- A proscenium arch.
- 1979, J.G. Ballard, The Unlimited Dream Company, chapter 19:
- Screamers trumpeted from the roof of the supermarket, white storks rattled their bills as their surveyed the town from the proscenium of the filling-station.
-
Coordinate terms
- auditorium
- episcenium
- logium
- orchestra
- parascenium
- parodus
- thymele
Translations
modern theatre: stage area between the curtain and the orchestra
|
ancient theatre: stage area immediately in front of the scene building
|
ancient theatre: row of columns at the front the scene building
|
proscenium arch — see proscenium arch
Danish
Noun
proscenium n (singular definite prosceniet, plural indefinite proscenier)
- proscenium
Inflection
Declension of proscenium
| neuter gender | Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
| nominative | proscenium | prosceniet | proscenier | proscenierne |
| genitive | prosceniums | prosceniets | prosceniers | prosceniernes |
French
Noun
proscenium m (plural prosceniums)
- proscenium
Further reading
- “proscenium”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Latin
Alternative forms
- proscaenium
Etymology
From Ancient Greek προσκήνιον (proskḗnion), from πρό (pró, “before”) + σκηνή (skēnḗ, “scene building”).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /prosˈkeː.ni.um/, [prɔs̠ˈkeːniʊ̃ˑ]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /proʃˈʃe.ni.um/, [proʃˈʃɛːnium]
Noun
proscēnium n (genitive proscēniī or proscēnī); second declension
- proscenium
Declension
Second-declension noun (neuter).
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | proscēnium | proscēnia |
| Genitive | proscēniī proscēnī1 | proscēniōrum |
| Dative | proscēniō | proscēniīs |
| Accusative | proscēnium | proscēnia |
| Ablative | proscēniō | proscēniīs |
| Vocative | proscēnium | proscēnia |
1Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).
Descendants
- → English: proscenium
- French: proscénium
- Italian: proscenio
References
- “proscenium”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- proscenium in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
Romanian
Etymology
From Latin proscenium or French proscenium.
Noun
proscenium n (plural prosceniumuri)
- proscenium
Declension
Declension of proscenium
| singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite articulation | definite articulation | indefinite articulation | definite articulation | |
| nominative/accusative | (un) proscenium | prosceniumul | (niște) prosceniumuri | prosceniumurile |
| genitive/dative | (unui) proscenium | prosceniumului | (unor) prosceniumuri | prosceniumurilor |
| vocative | prosceniumule | prosceniumurilor | ||