palaestra

[ puh-les-truh ]

noun

, plural pa·laes·tras, pa·laes·trae [p, uh, -, les, -tree].

1. Greek Antiquity. palestra.

palaestra

/ -ˈliː-; pəˈlɛstrə /

noun

1. (in ancient Greece or Rome) a public place devoted to the training of athletes

Word History and Origins

Origin of palaestra¹

C16: via Latin from Greek palaistra, from palaiein to wrestle

Example Sentences

From under the unpaved parking lot the fabled Lyceum emerged, replete with a central courtyard and wrestling area, or palaestra.

From The Guardian

“The amphitheater was in the right place…in relationship to the palaestra,” a large open area for sporting activities, Yeomans says, calling it “a detail only someone like me would notice.”

From Scientific American

Beyond this, on the way to the east coast, are the remains of the new and the old palaestra, also partially excavated.

From Project Gutenberg

The importance attached to this exercise is shown by the very word palaestra, and Plutarch calls it the most artistic and cunning of athletic games.

From Project Gutenberg

For children and youths under the ephebic age there was no practical regulation of schools or palaestra by the state.

From Project Gutenberg