What does gymnasium mean?
Word: Gymnasium
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Gymnasium means a large room or hall with equipment for exercise and indoor sports.
Synonyms: gym
Word origin: Came into English through Latin from Greek gymnasion.
How do you spell gymnasium?
Syllables: gym - na - si - um
Tricky part: The opening sounds like 'jim', but it is written with g and y, which tempts students into jimnasium or gimnasium.
Watch out for: jimnasium, gimnasium, jymnasium
Memory tip: Start from the short form gym: the y you already write there stays put in the long word.
Gymnasium in a sentence
Example 1: The inter-school badminton final was held in the new gymnasium.
Example 2: We lined up in the gymnasium for our morning yoga class.
Example 3: The gymnasium smelt of fresh paint and floor polish.
Fun Fact
In Germany and several other European countries, a Gymnasium is not a sports hall at all but a secondary school that prepares pupils for university.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
gymna____
a) zium
b) sum
c) seum
d) sium
Show answer
d) sium. It finishes with the ending of stadium, with an i before the um.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Like gymnasium, which of these words came into English from Greek?
a) marathon
b) tycoon
c) bazaar
d) safari
Show answer
a) marathon. Marathon is named after a place in Greece; bazaar is Persian, tycoon Japanese and safari Swahili.
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) gymnasium : exercise
b) laboratry : experiments
c) library : books
d) auditorium : concerts
Show answer
b) laboratry : experiments. Laboratory has an o before its final r.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
musnmagyi 123456789
a) 781463925
b) 381465927
c) 741963825
d) 761423985
Show answer
a) 781463925. The g is letter 7 and the y is letter 8, so the order has to open with those two.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which school event is best suited to a gymnasium on a rainy day?
a) a kite-flying contest
b) a long cross-country race
c) an indoor basketball match
d) a nature walk by the lake
Show answer
c) an indoor basketball match
2. Gym is a short form of gymnasium. Which pair works the same way?
a) cap : captain
b) photo : photograph
c) pen : pencil
d) car : carpet
Show answer
b) photo : photograph
