hippodrome
/ˈhɪpəˌdɹəʊm/ noun, verb
Forms hippodromes hippodroming hippodromed
- noun A horse racing course.
- noun (US, slang, sports) A fraudulent sporting contest with a predetermined winner.
- noun (archaic) A circus with equestrian performances.
- verb (US, slang, sports, especially baseball) To stage a sporting contest to suit gamblers.
Etymology
Borrowed from French hippodrome, a learned borrowing from Latin hippodromos, borrowed from Ancient Greek ῐ̔ππόδρομος (hĭppódromos), from ῐ̔́ππος (hĭ́ppos, “horse”) + δρόμος (drómos, “street”). By surface analysis, hippo- + -drome.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A place set apart for equestrian and chariot races.
- noun An arena for equestrian performances; a circus.
Etymology [L. hippodromos, Gr. hippodrome.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “hippodrome”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details