lyceum
/laɪˈsiːəm/ noun, proper noun
Forms lyceums lycea the Lyceum
- noun (historical) A public hall designed for lectures, readings, or concerts.
- noun (US, historical) A school, especially European, at a stage between elementary school and college, a lycée.
- noun An association for literary improvement.
- proper noun An ancient Greek temple in Athens dedicated to Apollo Lyceus.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Latin Lyceum, from Ancient Greek Λύκειον (Lúkeion) (the name of a gymnasium, or athletic training facility, near Athens where Aristotle established his school), from Λύκειος, from Proto-Greek *λύκη), "light." The meaning of the epithet "Lyceus" later became associated with Apollo's mother Leto, who was the patron goddess of Lycia (Λυκία) and who was identified with the wolf (λύκος). Doublet of lycée and Lyceum.
Learned borrowing from Latin Lycēum, from Ancient Greek Λύκειον (Lúkeion). Doublet of lyceum and lycée.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A place of exercise with covered walks, in the suburbs of Athens, where Aristotle taught philosophy.
- noun A house or apartment appropriated to instruction by lectures or disquisitions.
Etymology [L. lyceum, Gr. Wolf.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “lyceum”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details