gymnasium
Definitions
A large room or building equipped for indoor sports and exercise.
体育馆；健身房。
An academic secondary school preparing students for university (in Germany and some other European countries).
（德国等欧洲国家的）文法中学，为升大学做准备。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom Greek gymnasion, 'the place to train,' from gymnos ('naked'). The ancient gymnasion trained both body and mind, so English took the body sense (sports hall) while German and other European languages took the mind sense (academic school).
Root gymnast still carries 4 more wordsWhy It Means This
The two meanings split from the same ancient institution. The Greek gymnasion was both a training ground and a place of learning. English kept 'sports hall'; German Gymnasium kept 'academic school.' So the word a German uses for high school is the same word an American uses for the basketball court.
Common Collocations
- 1.school gymnasium学校体育馆
- 2.indoor gymnasium室内体育馆
- 3.a packed gymnasium座无虚席的体育馆
Example Sentences
- 1.
The school's new gymnasium can seat a thousand spectators.
- 2.
In Germany, she attended a gymnasium before going to university.
- 3.
The gymnasium was set up with mats for the wrestling match.