cinematheque

American  

[sin-uh-muh-tek] / ˌsɪn ə məˈtɛk /

French cinémathèque

noun

1. a movie theater, often part of a university or private archive, showing experimental or historically important films.

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cinematheque British  

/ ˌsɪnɪməˈtɛk /

noun

1. a small intimate cinema

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Etymology

Origin of cinematheque

First recorded in 1965–70; from French cinémathèque “film archive,” equivalent to cinéma- prefixal use of cinéma “films” + -thèque “things collected,” as in bibliothèque “library,” discothèque “collection of phonograph records”; see cinema, theca