A gymnasium in Ancient Greece was a place where adult men would train for athletic events. The athletic events were viewed as a tribute to the Greek Gods.

Ancient Greece, the word comes from the Greek Gymnasium meaning 'The place for being naked', the ancient Greeks performed Gymnastics in the Nude.

Xystus, a long portico inside a gymnasium. (Ancient Greece)

A gymnasium, or gym for short, is a place to exercise. In Ancient Greece, a gymnasium was a training ground for men to exercise physically as well as to socialize and exercise their minds by engaging in philosophical discussion. When men would exercise in Ancient Greece, they would do so naked to honor the Gods for creating man's body. The Greek adjective for "naked" is "gymnos". The Greek verb gymnazien means "to exercise". When Latin and English developed, they took the Greek roots and came up with "gymnasion", which eventually became the modern English "gymnasium".

A 'gymnasium' is:

NOUN

1) a place in ancient Greece where the youths exercised naked

2) an auditorium for physical exercise and athletic games

3) a secondary school in some European countries, such as Germany, that prepares students for university