Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Arena \A*re"na\, n.; pl. E. {Arenas}; L. {Aren[ae]}. [L. arena,
harena, sand, a sandy place.]
1. (Rom. Antiq.) The area in the central part of an
amphitheater, in which the gladiators fought and other
shows were exhibited; -- so called because it was covered
with sand.
2. Any place of public contest or exertion; any sphere of
action; as, the arenaof debate; the arena of life.
3. (Med.) ``Sand'' or ``gravel'' in the kidneys.
Source : WordNet®
arena
n 1: a particular environment or walk of life; "his social sphere
is limited"; "it was a closed area of employment"; "he's
out of my orbit" [syn: {sphere}, {domain}, {area}, {orbit},
{field}]
2: the central area of an ancient Roman amphitheater where
contests and spectacles were held; especially a
sand-strewn area
3: a large structure for open-air sports or entertainments
[syn: {stadium}, {bowl}, {sports stadium}]
4: a playing field where sports events take place [syn: {scene
of action}]
Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing
arena
The area of memory attached to a {Unix} process
by the {brk} and {sbrk} {system calls} and used by {malloc} as
dynamic storage. So named from a "malloc: corrupt arena"
message emitted when some early versions detected an
impossible value in the free block list.
See {overrun screw}, {aliasing bug}, {memory leak}, {memory
smash}, {smash the stack}.
[{Jargon File}]
(1995-12-28)