Stadium
[Noun]
Webster's Dictionary 1828
1. A Greek measure of 125 geometrical paces; a
furlong.
2. The course or career of a race.
Stadium
[Noun]
Webster's Dictionary 1913
1. A Greek measure of length, being the chief one used for
itinerary distances, also adopted by the Romans for
nautical and astronomical measurements. It was equal to 600 Greek or 625 Roman feet, or 125 Roman paces, or to 606 feet 9 inches English. This was also called the
Olympic stadium, as being the exact length of the foot-race course at
Olympia.
2. Hence, a race course; especially, the
Olympic course for foot races.
3. A kind of
telemeter for measuring the distance of an object of known dimensions, by observing the angle it subtends; especially (Surveying), a graduated rod used to measure the distance of the place where it stands from an instrument having a telescope, by observing the number of the graduations of the rod that are seen between certain parallel wires (
stadia wires) in the field of view of the telescope; -- also called
stadia, and
stadia rod.