Solarium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The word solarium (plural solariums or solaria) is Latin and from the Latin word sol, meaning sun, may connote a terrace or flat housetop. The Solarium Augusti, the largest sundial the world has known, was erected in Rome by Emperor Augustus, with an Egyptian obelisk as a gnomon.
In modern culture, solarium has several meanings:
- the name of a former constellation, see Solarium (constellation).
- A solarium is a room built largely of glass to afford exposure to the sun. A common example of this is a glassed-in porch. See sunroom for the major article on this use of the word.
- Solarium is another word for a Tanning bed or sunbed.
Solariums (glass rooms) today are commonly found in American fast food restaurants (e.g. Wendy's). During the '60s and '70s, Rax Restaurants became one of the first fast food chains to build solariums in its dining areas.
