velarium

American  

[vuh-lair-ee-uhm] / vəˈlɛər i əm /

noun

Roman Antiquity.

plural

velaria

1. an awning drawn over a theater or amphitheater as a protection from rain or the sun.

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velarium British  

/ vɪˈlɛərɪəm /

noun

1. an awning used to protect the audience in ancient Roman theatres and amphitheatres

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Etymology

Origin of velarium

1825–35; < Latin vēlārium (a word known only from a passage in Juvenal; the intended sense may be “curtain” rather than “awning”); velum, -ary

Example Sentences

In addition to this task these Caryatides had likewise that of supporting upon their heads an entablature decorated with Nereids and Tritons in bas-relief, and furnished with rings of bronze to which the silken cords of a velarium might be attached.

From Project Gutenberg

At the top, on the exterior, may be seen the remains of the consoles which sustained the velarium which was drawn over the arena to shelter the spectators from the sun or rain.

From Project Gutenberg

Velarium, vē-lā′ri-um, n. an awning which could be drawn over the Roman amphitheatre: the marginal membrane of certain hydrozoans:—pl.

From Project Gutenberg

Velum, vē′lum, n. a velarium: the ciliated disc-like fold of the integument with which some embryo molluscs are provided:—pl.

From Project Gutenberg

Where the huge velarium that Nero had stretched across the Colosseum at Rome, on which were represented the starry sky, and Apollo driving a chariot drawn by white gilt-reined steeds?

From Project Gutenberg