noun
theater
A room equipped for surgical operations.
The British hospital calls the surgical room a theater.
Etymology
The Greek source names a place for watching. Early surgical theaters accommodated observers, giving the operating room its theatrical name.
More examples
- The patient was moved to the operating theater.
- Several theaters were prepared for scheduled operations.
- The London report described a new surgical theater.
Forms
theater · theaters
Similar words
- operating room
- The usual American term for this surgical space.