Lyzeum
German edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Latin Lycēum, from Ancient Greek Λύκειον (Lúkeion). The use for a girls’ school may have been partly due to an inhibition to using the word Gymnasium with girls because of the underlying Ancient Greek γυμνός (gumnós, “naked”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
Lyzeum n (strong, genitive Lyzeums, plural Lyzeen)
- (archaic) grammar school for girls
- Synonym: Töchterschule
- (obsolete) grammar school (for boys or in general)
- Synonym: Gymnasium
- (obsolete) an honorific byname for a university
- (archaic, Bavaria, Roman Catholicism) a type of theological and philosophical institutes (existing under this name until 1923)
Usage notes edit
- (grammar school): The distinction between Gymnasium (for boys) and Lyzeum (for girls) existed from the 19th century until circa 1950. The terms were equivalents of each other, though the educations were somewhat different as Lyzeen did not prepare for university. Today, therefore, Gymnasium is the general word and girls-only ones are called Mädchengymnasium.
Declension edit
Declension of Lyzeum [neuter, strong]