Theater/Theatrical

[Lycidas at worldnet.att.net]

AHD

WORD HISTORY: Those who have theories about the theater are
no doubt quite observant, at least the etymology of the word
leads one to think so. The words theory and theater are
related in ancestry if we look back to the Greek sources of
our words. The Greek ancestor of theater is theatron, “a
place for seeing, especially for dramatic representation,
theater.” Theatron is derived quite logically from the verb
theasthai, “to gaze at, contemplate, view as spectators,
especially in the theater,” from thea, “a viewing.” The
Greek ancestor of theory is the½ria, which meant among other
things “the sending of the½roi (state ambassadors sent to
consult oracles or attend games),” “the act of being a
spectator at the theater or games,” “viewing,”
“contemplation by the mind,” and “theory or speculation.”
The source of the½ria, the½ros, “an envoy sent to consult an
oracle, spectator,” is a compound of thea, “viewing,” and
-oros, “seeing.” Thus, viewing is at the root of a theory
and the theater.

the·at·ri·cal (th¶-²t“r¹-k
l) also the·at·ric (-r¹k) --adj.
1. Abbr. theat. Of, relating to, or suitable for dramatic
performance or the theater. 2. Marked by exaggerated
self-display and unnatural behavior; affectedly dramatic.
See Synonyms at  dramatic. --n. 1. Often theatricals. Stage
performances or a stage performance, especially by amateurs.
2. theatricals. Affectedly dramatic gestures or behavior;
histrionics. --the·at”ri·cal“i·ty (-k²l“¹-t¶) or
the·at“ri·cal·ness (-k
l-n¹s) n. --the·at“ri·cal·ly adv.