velarium

noun

ve·​lar·​i·​um vi-ˈler-ē-əm 

plural velaria vi-ˈler-ē-ə 

: an awning over an ancient Roman theater or amphitheater

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin vēlārium "curtain" + -ārium -ary entry 1

Note: The sole instance of the word in classical Latin (in a satire of Juvenal) refers to a curtain in a theater; the notion that velarium referred specifically to an awning in an amphitheater is an invention of post-classical antiquarians and lexicographers.

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above