movie-theater
Meaning
a building or room where people pay to watch movies on a large screen.
Structure
Usage
we decided to meet at the movie-theater downtown for the 7 pm showing.
the old movie-theater was renovated but kept its classic marquee.
finding parking near the popular movie-theater on a friday night can be difficult.
Etymology
the compound noun 'movie-theater' is a distinctly american english formation from the early 20th century, created to describe the new venues built for the exhibition of motion pictures. the first element, 'movie', is a colloquial shortening of 'moving picture', capturing the essential characteristic of the new technology. the second element, 'theater', has a long lineage from greek 'theatron' (a place for viewing), through latin and old french, traditionally associated with dramatic performances. the combination logically fuses the modern medium ('movie') with the ancient concept of a dedicated viewing space ('theater'), specifying a building designed for the communal watching of films.
Analysis
- movie (origin: american english, from 'moving picture'; functional role: the core subject or content being shown) - theater (origin: old french 'theatre', from latin 'theatrum', from greek 'theatron' meaning 'a place for viewing'; functional role: denotes the building or venue where the viewing occurs)