Gym (original) (raw)

Gym is a shortened form of gymnasium and refers to facilities intended for indoor sports or exercise. Gym can also refer to a physical education course or a metal frame support used in outdoor play equipment, as in "jungle gym".

The word gymnasium was used in ancient Greece, meaning a locality for the education of young men. Physical education was considered at least as important as learning, and the fact that the students were naked (gymnos in Greek) when performing bodily exercises explains the use of the word in the United Kingdom and the United States.

See also: Gymnasium (school)