proscenium

English

WOTD – 4 October 2009

Alternative forms

• proscænium

Etymology

From Latin proscaenium (“in front of the scenery”), from Ancient Greek προσκήνιον (proskḗnion), from πρό (pró, “before”) + σκηνή (skēnḗ, “scene building”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pɹəʊˈsiː.ni.əm/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /pɹoʊˈsiː.ni.əm/

Noun

proscenium (plural prosceniums or proscenia)

1. (in a modern theater) The stage area between the curtain and the orchestra.
   • 2023 June 15, Manohla Dargis, “‘Asteroid City’ Review: Our Town and Country”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     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.

2. (in an ancient theater) The stage area immediately in front of the scene building.
3. (in an ancient theater) The row of columns at the front the scene building, at first directly behind the circular orchestra but later upon a stage.
   • 1936, Roy C. Flickinger, The Greek Theater and Its Drama, 4th edition, page 58:

     The front of the scene-building and of the parascenia came to be decorated with a row of columns, the proscenium (πρό, "before"+σκηνή).

4. A proscenium arch.
   • 1979, J.G. Ballard, The Unlimited Dream Company, chapter 19:

     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.

Coordinate terms

• auditorium
• episcenium
• logium
• orchestra
• parascenium
• parodus
• thymele

Derived terms

• proscenium curtain

Translations

modern theatre: stage area between the curtain and the orchestra

Bulgarian: авансце́на (bg) f (avanscéna) Catalan: prosceni m Danish: proscenium n Greek: προσκήνιο (el) n (proskínio) Maori: tuaaroaro Polish: proscenium (pl) n, przedscenie n, awanscena f Russian: авансце́на (ru) f (avanscéna) Spanish: proscenio (es) m Tagalog: prosenyo

ancient theatre: stage area immediately in front of the scene building

Catalan: prosceni m Danish: proscenium n Greek: προσκήνιο (el) n (proskínio) Ancient: προσκήνιον n (proskḗnion) Latin: proscaenium n Polish: proscenium (pl) Russian: проске́ниум m (proskénium)

ancient theatre: row of columns at the front the scene building

Catalan: prosceni m German: Bühnenfassade Greek: Ancient: προσκήνιον n (proskḗnion) Modern: προσκήνιο (el) n (proskínio)

proscenium arch — see proscenium arch

Danish

Noun

proscenium n (singular definite prosceniet, plural indefinite proscenier)

1. proscenium

Inflection

Declension of proscenium

neuter gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	proscenium	prosceniet	proscenier	proscenierne
genitive	prosceniums	prosceniets	prosceniers	prosceniernes

French

Noun

proscenium m (plural prosceniums)

1. proscenium

Further reading

• “proscenium”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Latin

Alternative forms

• proscaenium

Etymology

From Ancient Greek προσκήνιον (proskḗnion), from πρό (pró, “before”) + σκηνή (skēnḗ, “scene building”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [prɔsˈkeː.ni.ũː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [proʃˈʃɛː.ni.um]

Noun

proscēnium n (genitive proscēniī or proscēnī); second declension

1. proscenium

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

	singular	plural
nominative	proscēnium	proscēnia
genitive	proscēniī proscēnī1	proscēniōrum
dative	proscēniō	proscēniīs
accusative	proscēnium	proscēnia
ablative	proscēniō	proscēniīs
vocative	proscēnium	proscēnia

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Descendants

• → Catalan: prosceni (learned)
• → English: proscenium
• French: proscénium
• Italian: proscenio
• Spanish: proscenio

References

• “proscenium”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “proscenium”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin proscenium or French proscenium.

Noun

proscenium n (plural prosceniumuri)

1. proscenium

Declension

Declension of proscenium

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	proscenium	prosceniumul		prosceniumuri	prosceniumurile
genitive-dative	proscenium	prosceniumului		prosceniumuri	prosceniumurilor
vocative	prosceniumule			prosceniumurilor