palestra

(redirected from palaestrae)

pa·les·tra

also pa·laes·tra (pə-lĕs′trə)
n. pl. pa·les·trae (-trē) or pa·les·tras also pa·laes·trae or pa·laes·tras
A public place in ancient Greece for training and practice in wrestling and other athletics.
[Middle English palestre, from Old French, from Latin palaestra, from Greek palaistra, from palaiein, to wrestle.]
pa·les′tral, pa·les′tri·an adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

palestra

(pəˈlɛstrə; -ˈliː-)
n, pl -tras or -trae (-triː)
(Historical Terms) the usual US spelling of palaestra
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pa•laes•tra

(pəˈlɛs trə)

n., pl. -tras, -trae (-trē).
(in ancient Greece) a building with a courtyard for training in wrestling and other sports, usu. part of a gymnasium.
[1375–1425; late Middle English palestre < Latin palaestra < Greek palaístra = palais-, variant s. of palaíein to wrestle + -tra suffix of place]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

palaestra, palestra

Ancient Greece. a public place for athletics or wrestling. — palaestric, palestric, adj.
See also: Athletics
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.palestra - a public place in ancient Greece or Rome devoted to the training of wrestlers and other athletespalestra - a public place in ancient Greece or Rome devoted to the training of wrestlers and other athletes
palaestra
athletic field, playing area, playing field, field - a piece of land prepared for playing a game; "the home crowd cheered when Princeton took the field"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Mentioned in ?
References in periodicals archive ?
qui feros cultus hominum recentum / voce formasti catus et decorae / more palaestrae, o Mercury ...
Horace's claim to fame in Odes book 1: a question of expectations?
Propertius describes how in the course of their palaestrae, Spartan adolescents play ball and drive the hoop: cure pila velocis fallit per bracchia iactus, / increpat et versi clavis adunca trochi ['when the ball makes invisible its lightning flight from hand to hand, and the hooked stick tings against the rolling hoop'].(2) While this parallels the passage from the Tristia, it resembles Gray even more closely.
Gray, Propertius, and the games stanza in the 'Eton College Ode.'
40.274D), the Romans thought the gymnasia and palaestrae to be the most important factor in the `enslavement and softness' [GREEK TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] and [GREEK TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] of the Greeks, since they gave rise to `much ennui and idleness, mischief, pederasty, and the ruin of young men's bodies by sleep, strolling about, rhythmic exercises, and strict diets' [GREEK TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII].
Greek love at Rome

Dictionary browser ?
Full browser ?