A Scene Was Originally a Tent
A scene is a place where something happens, or a division of a play. The Greek word behind it meant a hut at the back of the stage.
A scene is a place where an event happens, a division of a play, or a public display of emotion. Greek *skene* meant a tent or hut — specifically the structure behind the acting area of a Greek theatre, where actors changed and which served as a painted backdrop. The building gave its name to what happened in front of it. The same word gives *scenery*, *scenario* and *proscenium*, literally the space in front of the *skene*.
- A place of action. *The scene of the crime.*
- A division of a play. *Act two, scene one.*
- A public display. *Making a scene.*
- Scenery — the backdrop. *Painted scenery.*
- Greek — *skene*, a tent. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | scene | A scene. |
| Plural | scenes | Scenes. |
| Adjective | scenic | Scenic. |
| Noun | scenery | Scenery. |
| Greek | skene | A tent. |
- Police sealed off the scene.Place.
- The scene changes to a garden.Theatre.
- Skene meant the hut behind the stage.Etymology.
The skene family
- Scene — what happens before the backdrop
- Scenery — the painted background itself
- Scenario — an outline of the scenes
- Proscenium — the space in front of the skene
- Scenic — picturesque, from the painted-view sense
Latin *scaena*, from Greek *skene*, a tent, hut or stage building.
Why does scene come from a word for tent?
The skene was the hut behind the acting area of a Greek theatre, used for changing and as a backdrop. The building named the action in front of it.
What is a proscenium?
The area in front of the skene, and in modern theatre the arch framing the stage.