Turkish President wants the word "arena" removed from sports facilities.
Mavi Boncuk |
Arena: Arena[1] EN from FR arène 1. kumluk, kumsal, 2. stadyumun kumluk zemini from L. arena/harena.
arena "kumluk" [ Tıngır & Sinapian, Istılahat Lugati (1892) ]
aren "güreş meydanı" [ c (1937) : Geçen pazar günü Kadıköy stadyumu er meydanı olmaktan çıktı ve eski Bizans Roma (Arena)larına döndü. ]
Stadyum: Stadium EN, stadyom [ İbrahim Alaattin (Gövsa), Yeni Türk Lugatı (1930) ]
[1] arena (n.) 1620s, "place of combat," from Latin harena "place of combat, enclosed space in the middle of Roman amphitheaters," originally "sand, sandy place" (source also of Spanish arena, Italian rena, French arène "sand"), a word of uncertain origin, perhaps from Etruscan. The central stages of Roman amphitheaters were strewn with sand to soak up the blood. Figuratively, "scene of contest of any kind" is by 1814.
[2] stadium (n.) late 14c., "a foot race; an ancient measure of length," from Latin stadium "a measure of length; a course for foot-racers" (commonly one-eighth of a Roman mile or a little over 600 English feet; translated in early English Bibles by furlong), from Greek stadion "a measure of length; a race-course, a running track," especially the track at Olympia, which was one stadion in length. The meaning "running track," recorded in English from c. 1600, was extended to mean in modern-day context "large, open oval structure with tiers of seats for viewing sporting events" (1834).
"Originally the distance between successive stations of the shouters and runners employed to estimate distances" [Century Dictionary]. According to Barnhart, the Greek word might literally mean "fixed standard of length" (from stadios "firm, fixed," from PIE root *sta- "to stand"), or it may be from spadion, from span "to draw up, pull," with form influenced by stadios.