[ noun ] a large amphitheater in Rome whose construction was begun by Vespasian about AD 75 or 80 <noun.artifact>
Colosseum \Col`os*se"um\, n. [Neut., fr. L. colosseus gigantic. See {Coliseum}.] The amphitheater of Vespasian in Rome. [Also written {Coliseum}.]
Coliseum \Col`i*se"um\, n. [NL. (cf. It. coliseo, colosseo), fr. L. colosseus colossal, fr. colossus a colossus. See {Colossus}, and cf. {Colosseum}.] The amphitheater of Vespasian at Rome, the largest in the world. [Written also {Colosseum}.] ※ ||
The north Atlantic air travel market has become like the gladiatorial contests in the Roman colosseum with protagonists prepared to slug it out in a grand setting.