theater
Abbr. theat.
1.
2.
3.
4. a. The quality or effectiveness of a theatrical production: good theater; awful theater. b. Dramatic material or the use of such material: "His summation was a great piece of courtroom theater" (Ron Rosenbaum).
5. The audience assembled for a dramatic performance.
6. A place that is the setting for dramatic events.
7. A large geographic area in which military operations are coordinated: the European theater during World War II.
[Middle English theatre, from Old French, from Latin theātrum, from Greek theatron, from theasthai, to watch, from thea, a viewing.]
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