pălaestra (noun F) = παλαίστρα:
* A wrestling-school, wrestling-place, place of exercise, paloestra, where youths, with their bodies naked and anointed with oil, practised gymnastic exercises. Such palaestrae were also attached to private houses: in palaestram venire,Plaut. Bacch. 3, 3, 20; cf. id. ib. 3, 3, 27: in palaestrā atque in foro,id. Am. 4, 1, 3: statuas in palaestrā ponere,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 14, § 36: pars in gramineis exercent membra palaestris,Verg. A. 6, 642. —Of the palaestrae in private houses, Varr. R. R. 3, 13: (Fibrenus) tantum complectitur quod satis sit modicae palaestrae loci,Cic. Leg. 2, 3, 6; id. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 2.
* Transf.
* A wrestling in the palaestra, the exercise of wrestling: non utuntur in ipsā lusione artificio proprio palaestrae, sed indicat ipse motus, didicerintne palaestram an nesciant,Cic. de Or. 1, 16, 73: exercent patrias oleo labente palaestras Nudati socii,Verg. A. 3, 281: corpora agresti nudant palaestrae,id. G. 2, 531: uncta palaestra,Ov. H. 19, 11: nitidā palaestrā ludere,id. ib. 16, 149; cf. Luc. 4, 615.—Mercury was regarded as the founder of wrestling combats, Hor. C. 1, 10, 4; Luc. 9, 661.
* In the lang. of comedy, a brothel, Plaut. Bacch. 1, 1, 34; Ter. Phorm. 3, 1, 20.
* Exercises in the school of rhetoric, rhetorical exercises, a school of rhetoric, a school: nitidum genus verborum sed palaestrae magis et olei, quam hujus civilis turbae ac fori,Cic. de Or. 1, 18, 81: non tam armis institutus, quam palaestrā,id. Brut. 9, 37: sic adjuvet, ut palaestra histrionem,id. Or. 4, 14; 56, 186; cf. id. ib. 68, 228: Antipater habuit (in scribendā historiā) vires agrestes ille quidem atque horridas sine nitore ac palaestrā, id. Leg. 1, 2, 6.—*
* An art or skill: utemur eā palaestrā, quam a te didicimus,Cic. Att. 5, 13, 1.

s. TLL