gymnasium

 
Pronunciation: /dʒɪmˈneɪzɪəm/

noun (plural gymnasiums or gymnasia /-zɪə/)

  • 1a room or building equipped for gymnastics, games, and other physical exercise.
  • 2 /also gɪmˈnɑːzɪəm/ a school in Germany, Scandinavia, or central Europe that prepares pupils for university entrance.

Derivatives

gymnasial

adjective
gymnasium (sense 2).

Origin:

late 16th century: via Latin from Greek gumnasion, from gumnazein 'exercise naked', from gumnos 'naked'

Spelling help

The plural of gymnasium can be spelled either gymnasia (as in the original Latin) or gymnasiums.