{"id":3882,"date":"2025-04-19T15:08:28","date_gmt":"2025-04-19T15:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=3882"},"modified":"2025-04-19T15:08:28","modified_gmt":"2025-04-19T15:08:28","slug":"adventures-in-etymology-theoretical-theatre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=3882","title":{"rendered":"Adventures in Etymology &#8211; Theoretical Theatre"},"content":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Theoretical Theatre\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2025-04-19T15:08:28+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M40S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this Adventure in Etymology, we find out what links the words theory and theatre.\n\n\n\nTheory [\u02c8\u03b8\u026a\u0259.\u0279i \/ \u02c8\u03b8\u026a.\u0279i] has a variety of meanings, including:\n\n\n  A description of an event or system that is considered to be accurate.\n  (sciences) A coherent...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/theory.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"3.0\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_1691\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-3882-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/theory.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/theory.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/theory.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/theory.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=3882-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/theory.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"theory.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this Adventure in Etymology, we find out what links the words <strong>theory<\/strong> and <strong>theatre<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/omniglot\/54459501692\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"The Warning at the O2 Academy Brixton\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54459501692_09cfe2dd0b_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"The Warning at the O2 Academy Brixton\"\/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Theory<\/strong> [\u02c8\u03b8\u026a\u0259.\u0279i \/ \u02c8\u03b8\u026a.\u0279i] has a variety of meanings, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A description of an event or system that is considered to be accurate.<\/li>\n<li>(<em>sciences<\/em>) A coherent statement or set of ideas that explains observed facts or phenomena and correctly predicts new facts or phenomena not previously observed, or which sets out the laws and principles of something known or observed; a hypothesis confirmed by observation, experiment etc.<\/li>\n<li>The underlying principles or methods of a given technical skill, art etc., as opposed to its practice.<\/li>\n<li>(<em>informal<\/em>) A hypothesis, conjecture,  unsubstantiated statement or idea.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It comes from Middle French <em>th\u00e9orie<\/em> (theory), from Late Latin <em>the\u014dria<\/em> (speculation, theory), from Ancient Greek <em>\u03b8\u03b5\u03c9\u03c1\u03af\u03b1<\/em> (the\u014dr\u00eda &#8211; contemplation, divine perspective, speculation, a looking at, a seeking) from <em>\u03b8\u03b5\u03c9\u03c1\u03ad\u03c9<\/em> (the\u014dr\u00e9\u014d &#8211; I look at, view, see, consider, examine), from <em>\u03b8\u03b5\u03c9\u03c1\u03cc\u03c2<\/em> (the\u014dr\u00f3s &#8211; spectator), from <em>\u03b8\u03ad\u03b1<\/em> (th\u00e9a &#8211; view, perspective, sight) and <em>\u1f41\u03c1\u03ac\u03c9<\/em> (hor\u00e1\u014d &#8211; I see, look) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/theory#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same roots include <strong>theorem<\/strong> and  <strong>theatre \/ theater<\/strong> in English, <strong>\u03b8\u03b5\u03c9\u03c1\u03af\u03b1<\/strong> (theor\u00eda &#8211; theory, contemplation),  <strong>\u03b8\u03b5\u03b1\u03c4\u03ae\u03c2<\/strong> (theat\u00eds &#8211; spectator, viewer, onlooker) and <strong>\u03b8\u03b5\u03b1\u03c4\u03c1\u03af\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2<\/strong> (theatrik\u00f3s &#8211; actor, theatrical) in Greek, <strong>th\u00e9\u00e2tre<\/strong> (theatre) in French, and <strong>teatro<\/strong> (theatre, drama, cinema) in Spanish [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/%CE%B8%CE%AD%CE%B1%CF%84%CF%81%CE%BF%CE%BD#Ancient_Greek\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Incidentally, in Middle English <strong>theatre<\/strong> was written both <em>theatre<\/em> and <em>theater<\/em>. It comes from Old French <em>t(h)eatre<\/em> (theatre), from Latin <em>the\u0101trum<\/em> (theatre, playhouse, stage), from Ancient Greek <em>\u03b8\u03ad\u03b1\u03c4\u03c1\u03bf\u03bd<\/em> (th\u00e9atron &#8211; theatre, gathering place, play, spectacle), from <em>\u03b8\u03b5\u03ac\u03bf\u03bc\u03b1\u03b9<\/em> (the\u00e1omai &#8211; to view, watch, observe), from <em>\u03b8\u03ad\u03b1<\/em> (th\u00e9a &#8211; view, perspective, sight) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/theatre#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p><strong>Theater<\/strong> is usually written with <strong>-er<\/strong> at the end in the USA, and sometimes in Canada, while in other English-speaking countries, it&#8217;s usually written with an <strong>-re<\/strong> spelling. However, theatrical people in the USA apparently use the <strong>-re<\/strong> spelling when referring to the art-form, and reserve the <strong>-er<\/strong> spelling to refer to the building in which <strong>theatre<\/strong> is performed. It that right?<\/p>\n<p>You can also listen to this podcast on: <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/gb\/podcast\/radio-omniglot\/id1432641094\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/music.amazon.com\/podcasts\/8b1b1d1b-b39e-4277-b28d-479a3b5043b3\/radio-omniglot\">Amazon Music<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/tunein.com\/podcasts\/Education-Podcasts\/Radio-Omniglot-p1154145\/\">TuneIn<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.podchaser.com\/podcasts\/radio-omniglot-716327\">Podchaser<\/a>, <a href=\"<a href=\"https:\/\/podbay.fm\/p\/radio-omniglot\">Podbay<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/podtail.com\/da\/podcast\/radio-omniglot\/\">Podtail<\/a> and other pod places.<\/p>\n<p>The theme tune for this episode is <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/simon-ager\/the-unexpected-badger\">The Unexpected Badger \/ Y Mochyn Daear Annisgwyl<\/a>, a piece I composed and recorded in 2017.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/339162597&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/simon-ager\" title=\"Simon Ager\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\">Simon Ager<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/simon-ager\/the-unexpected-badger\" title=\"The Unexpected Badger \/ Y Mochyn Daear Annisgwyl\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\">The Unexpected Badger \/ Y Mochyn Daear Annisgwyl<\/a><\/div>\n<p>If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/uk\/cgi-bin\/webscr?cmd=_flow&amp;SESSION=aLjPfXL-vP_1gQ_U23Iz8_hSWLlhzLHPMFZrt32dIEfG8htoNFLYaPoWkv8&amp;dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8def8934b92a630e40b7fef61ab7e9fe63\">PayPal<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/omniglot\">Patreon<\/a>, or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/donations.htm\">contribute to Omniglot in other ways<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with <a href=\"https:\/\/blubrry.com\/services\/podcast-hosting\/?code=omniglot\">Blubrry Podcast Hosting<\/a>, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code <strong>omniglot<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.japanesepod101.com\/member\/go.php?r=759259&amp;i=b0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/banners\/banner_japanesepod.jpg\" alt=\"The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com\" width=\"630\" height=\"83\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/\">Omniglot Blog<\/a>, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/\">Celtiadur<\/a> blog.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Blog horizontal --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"1685480124\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Theoretical Theatre\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2025-04-19T15:08:28+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M40S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this Adventure in Etymology, we find out what links the words theory and theatre.\n\n\n\nTheory [\u02c8\u03b8\u026a\u0259.\u0279i \/ \u02c8\u03b8\u026a.\u0279i] has a variety of meanings, including:\n\n\n  A description of an event or system that is considered to be accurate.\n  (sciences) A coherent...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/theory.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"3.0\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_1692\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-3882-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/theory.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/theory.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/theory.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/theory.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=3882-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/theory.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"theory.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this Adventure in Etymology, we find out what links the words theory and theatre. Theory [\u02c8\u03b8\u026a\u0259.\u0279i \/ \u02c8\u03b8\u026a.\u0279i] has a variety of meanings, including: A description of an event or system that is considered to be accurate. (sciences) A coherent statement or set of ideas that explains observed facts or phenomena and correctly predicts [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,97,20,56,23,61,4,50,58,140,11,1,28],"tags":[90,9,167,15,88,8,230,229,228,103],"class_list":["post-3882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures-in-etymology","category-ancient-greek-","category-english","category-etymology","category-french","category-greek-","category-language","category-latin","category-middle-english","category-middle-french","category-music","category-podcast","category-spanish","tag-etymology","tag-language","tag-linguistics","tag-music","tag-omniglot","tag-podcast","tag-theater","tag-theatre","tag-theory","tag-words"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3882"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3883,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3882\/revisions\/3883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}