Lost in Translation

For this week’s Word a Week Photo Challenge – Round  I’ve decided to post a photo of the most famous amphitheatre in the Roman world Colosseum, which though not round, but oval in shape, is the best known example of Roman architecture. The word amphitheatre is derived from Latin amphitheatrum, i.e. Gk. amphitheatron, neut. of amphitheatros “with spectators all around,” from amphi– “on both sides” + theatron “theater,” from theasthai “watch, look at.” (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=amphitheater)

The word round thus made me think of another word – amphitheatre. I hope you’ll find this etymology interesting.