proscenium
/pɹoʊˈsiː.ni.əm/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.19 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The stage area immediately in front of the scene building.
noun
The row of columns at the front of the scene building, at first directly behind the circular orchestra but later upon a stage.
noun
Example Sentences
- "It looks like a film, a meticulous, detailed, visually balanced wide-screen Wes Anderson one. There’s no proscenium, no stage, no wings, no audience."
- "The front of the scene-building and of the parascenia came to be decorated with a row of columns, the proscenium (πρό, "before"+σκηνή)."
- "Screamers trumpeted from the roof of the supermarket, white storks rattled their bills as their surveyed the town from the proscenium of the filling-station."
Etymology
From Latin proscaenium (“in front of the scenery”), from Ancient Greek προσκήνιον (proskḗnion), from πρό (pró, “before”) + σκηνή (skēnḗ, “scene building”).
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /pɹoʊˈsiː.ni.əm/
- British English: /pɹəʊˈsiː.ni.əm/