Gymnasium is a room or building for physical training, athletic competitions, and games. In addition, many schools use their gymnasiums for such special events as performances, concerts, social dances, and graduation ceremonies. In some European countries, gymnasium is the name for a type of secondary school.
The word gymnasium comes from a Greek word meaning to exercise naked. In ancient Greece, the word was used to mean public places set aside for athletic sports. Greek boys and young men wore no clothes when taking part in games in order to have freedom of bodily movement. The first gymnasium built on a campus in the United States was opened in 1860 at Amherst College.
