Sport & ContestGreek → English
Hippodrome
/ˈhɪpəˌdroʊm/noun
An arena for horse and chariot racing; in Britain, a name given to many variety theatres.
The Greek roots
ἵππος
híppos
horse
δρόμος
drómos
course, running
Literally: “horse course”
The story of the word
The chariot track was the largest structure in most Greek cities, and the one in Constantinople held tens of thousands. Its racing factions, the Blues and the Greens, were political parties in all but name, and in 532 their riot nearly ended Justinian's reign. Victorian showmen borrowed the word for variety houses, which is why English towns still have a Hippodrome with no horse within a mile of it.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → French → English
- First recorded
- 16th century
Same family
hippopotamuspalindromesyndromeaerodrome
In a sentence
The old Hippodrome is a bingo hall now, with the plasterwork still intact above the false ceiling.