Odeon
/ˈoʊ.di.ən/noun
A small theater or concert hall, especially one used for music or performances.
Did you know?Odeon comes from Greek ᾠδεῖον (ōideion), literally a place for singing, and some of the earliest odeia were built for musical contests and public performances tied to civic prestige and sacred culture.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ᾠδεῖον (ōideion)
“A place for singing or musical performance”
Classical Greek
Greek
ᾠδή (ōidē)
“A song or ode”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂weyd-
“To sing”
Late Latin
Latin
odeum
“A small theater or music hall”
19th Century
French
odéon
“A theater or concert hall”
Modern English
English
odeon
“A theater or concert hall, especially for films or performances”