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palaestra

American  
[puh-les-truh] / pəˈlɛs trə /

noun

PLURAL

palaestras, palaestrae
  1. Greek Antiquity.  palestra.


palaestra British  
/ -ˈliː-, pəˈlɛstrə /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of palaestra

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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