odeum

n., pl., o·de·a (ō-dē'ə, ō'dē-ə).

1. A small building of ancient Greece and Rome used for public performances of music and poetry.
2. A contemporary theater or concert hall.

[Latin ōdēum, from Greek ōideion, from aoidē, ōidē, song. See ode.]

(oh-DEE-uhm)

noun, plural odea
1. A theater or concert hall.
2. A roofed building in ancient Greece and Rome used for theatrical performances.

Etymology
From Latin odeum, from Greek oideion, from oide (song)

Now you know why so many cinema halls are named Odeon. A few other words that share the same root as odeum are ode, comedy, and tragedy. -Anu

Usage
"`Dinah Was,' the wonderful Dinah Washington musical about one of soul's great divas, has inaugurated an equally wonderful, new Off-Broadway theater, the Gramercy on 23rd Street. This 499-seat odeum is a luxurious addition to the burgeoning New York theater scene and is perfect for this new musical." — Liz Smith, Disney's Tobacco Rogue, Newsday (New York), Jul 15, 1998.

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For more information on odeum, visit Britannica.com.

A small ancient Greek or Roman theater, usually roofed, for musical performances.

odeum, Athens

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ōdēum (Gk. ōdeion, Eng. odeon), in Greece, a theatre built for musical performances and, unlike other Greek theatres, provided with a roof. An odeum was built by Periclēs east of and near to the theatre of Dionysus at Athens c.444 BC for concerts and the musical contests of the Panathenaea. The proagon also took place here. The Athenians themselves set fire to this odeum before the invasion of Sulla in 86 BC so that the enemy would not find in it a ready supply of wood for the siege of the Acropolis. Another odeum was built in the agora c.15 BC by M. Vipsanius Agrippa, but by AD 150 it had ceased to serve its original purpose and a third was built between 160 and 174 by Herodēs Atticus.

[MC]

A small building in form and plan like a theatre with semi-circular seating. Some were roofed. Chiefly used for musical contests, concerts, and meetings.

A small roofed theater in ancient antiquity devoted to the presentation of musical and poetic works to the public in competition for prizes.