thermae

American  

[thur-mee] / ˈθɜr mi /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. hot springs; hot baths.

2. a public bathing establishment of the ancient Greeks or Romans.

---

thermae British  

/ ˈθɜːmiː /

plural noun

1. public baths or hot springs, esp in ancient Greece or Rome

---

Etymology

Origin of thermae

1590–1600; < Latin < Greek thérmai; noun use of plural of thérmē heat; see thermo-

Example Sentences

Provincial towns such as Bath had their thermae, heated bathing complexes with splendid indoor pools and an attached palaestra for exercising in the revered Greek style.

From Slate • Jul. 24, 2012

This amazing groupe is the work of three Rhodian sculptors, called Agesander, Polydore, and Athenodorus, and was found in the thermae of Titus Vespasian, still supposing it to be the true antique.

From Travels through France and Italy by Smollett, T. (Tobias)

Gazing at the savage figure before him, the long trains of courtiers whom he had been used to see in the thermae and imperial corridors at Rome arose before him, forcing a comparison.

From Ben-Hur; a tale of the Christ by Wallace, Lewis

Amongst the numerous buildings with which Caracalla adorned the city, the most famous are the thermae, and the triumphal arch of Septimius Severus in the forum.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 3 "Capefigue" to "Carneades" by Various

They did not possess the magnitude and ornament of the Roman thermae.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 03, No. 19, May, 1859 by Various