cinema
cinema Lexical Profile
cinema Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A theater where films are shown for public entertainment.
"We bought popcorn and drinks before heading into the cinema to watch the highly anticipated premiere."
The art, technique, or industry of making motion pictures.
"French cinema underwent a radical transformation during the New Wave movement of the 1950s."
Motion pictures considered collectively as a group or genre.
"The annual festival celebrates independent cinema from emerging directors around the world."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British and global English, 'cinema' commonly refers to the physical building where films are screened, whereas American English strongly favors the term 'movie theater' for the venue.
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from French 'cinéma', which is a shortening of 'cinématographe'. The term was coined in the 1890s by the Lumière brothers, derived from the Ancient Greek 'kínēma' (movement) and 'gráphō' (to write).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.