Things that sound dirty, but aren't.

Last week Beth wrote a post about words that sound dirty but aren't. She had lots of contributors and it was a great read. (I added UVULA - the dingywidget that hangs down in the back of your throat.)

So I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this week's theme at A Word A Day by Anu Garg was "Words that Seem Risque."

Today's word:

vomitorium (vom-i-TOR-ee-uhm) noun, plural vomitoria

A passageway to the rows of seats in a theater.

[From Latin vomitorium, from vomere (to discharge).]

Vomitoria in ancient amphitheaters helped the audience to reach their seats quickly and then, at the end of the performance, leave at an equal speed (hence the name). Thousands of seats could be filled in minutes. The suggestion that a vomitorium was the place for the ancient Romans to vomit during a feast has no basis.