I. noun
or the·atre ˈthē-ə-tər, ˈthēə-, oftenest in Southern ˈthē-ˌā- also thē-ˈā-
Etymology: Middle English theatre, from Middle French, from Latin theatrum, from Greek theatron, from theasthai to view, from thea act of seeing; akin to Greek thauma miracle
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : an outdoor structure for dramatic performances or spectacles in ancient Greece and Rome
b. : a building or area for dramatic performances
c. : a building or area for showing motion pictures
2. : a place or sphere of enactment of usually significant events or action
the theater of public life
3.
a. : a place rising by steps or gradations
a woody theater of stateliest view — John Milton
b. : a room often with rising tiers of seats for assemblies (as for lectures or surgical demonstrations)
4.
a. : dramatic literature : plays
b. : dramatic representation as an art or profession : drama
5.
a. : dramatic or theatrical quality or effectiveness
b. : spectacle 1a
c. : entertainment in the form of a dramatic or diverting situation or series of events
t public feud made for good theater
6. : theater of operations
II. adjective
Date: 1977
: of, relating to, or appropriate for use in a theater of operations
theater nuclear weapons