Meanings
plural naumachias · plural naumachiae
- Ancient RomeThe recreation of a sea battle staged for entertainment.First known use 16th c.
BEFORE he went to feed with owls and bats Nebuchadnezzar had an ugly dream, Worse than an Hus'if's when she thinks her cream Made a Naumachia for mice and rats.
1816, John Keats, Sonnet - Before he went to feed with owls and bats, Wordsworth Editions, published 1994, page 270 - Ancient RomehistoricalThe location where such recreated sea battles took place; a building featuring an artificial body of water.First known use 17th c.
Our clerical guide did not fail us, but took us to see some ancient architectural remains, water tanks, a naumachia and other ruins of a similar sort.
1962, WH Auden; Elizabeth Mayer, translating JW Goethe, Italian Journey, Penguin, published 1970, page 286
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna naval spectacle; a mock sea battle put on by the ancient Romans
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekναυμαχία
- Latinnaumachia
- Englishnaumachia
Learned borrowing from Latin naumachia, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek ναυμαχία (naumakhía). Compare naumachy.
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish naumakhia
- naumakhiarecreation of sea battles in Ancient Rome
French naumachie
- naumachierecreation of sea battles in Ancient Rome
German Naumachie
- Naumachierecreation of sea battles in Ancient Rome
Italian naumachia
- naumachiarecreation of sea battles in Ancient Rome
Latin naumachia
- naumachiarecreation of sea battles in Ancient Rome
Portuguese naumaquia
- naumaquiarecreation of sea battles in Ancient Rome
Russian навма́хия, наума́хия
- навма́хия (navmáxija)recreation of sea battles in Ancient Rome
- наума́хия (naumáxija)recreation of sea battles in Ancient Rome
Spanish naumaquia
- naumaquiarecreation of sea battles in Ancient Rome
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with naumachia
All rhymes →Cite this entry
naumachia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/naumachia
“naumachia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/naumachia. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “naumachia,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/naumachia.
Source: naumachia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.