ampitheatre

Noun

amphitheatre (plural amphitheatres)

1. An open, outdoor theatre (which may be a theatre in the round, or have a stage with seating on only one side), especially one from the classical period of ancient Greece or Rome, or a modern venue of similar design.
   • Ancient Roman amphitheatres were mostly oval or circular in plan, with seating tiers that surrounded the central performance area, like a modern open-air stadium.
2. A natural formation of a similar shape, where a steep mountain or slope or particular rock formation forms a partial or complete bowl, especially one used as a performance space (and possibly modified by carving out seats, etc) because the slopes naturally amplify or echo sound.
   • The difference between the approach to Baylen from the west and from the east, is that on the former side the traveller reaches the town through a semicircular amphitheatre of upland, while by the latter he comes up a V-shaped valley ...1902, Charles Oman, A History of the Peninsular War, page 188

See all 3 meanings of amphitheatre