Hypertext Webster Gateway: "amphitheatre"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Amphitheater \Am`phi*the"a*ter\, Amphitheatre
\Am`phi*the"a*tre\,, n. [L. amphitheatrum, fr. Gr. ?; ? + ?
theater: cf. F. amphith['e][^a]tre. See {Theater}.]
1. An oval or circular building with rising tiers of seats
about an open space called the arena.
Note: The Romans first constructed amphitheaters for combats
of gladiators and wild beasts.
2. Anything resembling an amphitheater in form; as, a level
surrounded by rising slopes or hills, or a rising gallery
in a theater.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
amphitheatre
n 1: a sloping gallery with seats for spectators (as in an
operating room or theater) [syn: {amphitheater}]
2: an oval large stadium with tiers of seats; an arena in which
contests and spectacles are held [syn: {amphitheater}, {coliseum}]
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