The word "cinema" has multiple related meanings:
- It commonly refers to a building where films or movies are shown to an audience, also known as a movie theater, especially in British English. (Example: "Let's go to the cinema tonight.")
- It also denotes the film industry or the art and technique of making movies. This includes filmmaking as a craft and business. (Example: "She has worked in cinema for many years.")
- More broadly, cinema can mean films collectively, or the cinematic arts as a cultural or artistic form.
The word originates from the French "cinéma," a shortened form of "cinématographe," which comes from the Greek word "kinema" meaning "movement." This reflects the medium's essence of moving images.
