playplace

From play +‎ place.

playplace (plural playplaces)

1. A place for recreation and play.

   Synonym: playstead (dated)

   Hyponyms: playfield, playground

   • 1946 May, Upton Sinclair, “The Darkest Hour”, in A World to Win (Lanny Budd; 7), New York, N.Y.: Viking Press, →OCLC, book 5 (A Tide in the Affairs of Men), section IV, page 358:

     Lanny sat for a while looking out over the peaceful strait of water, which makes a playplace as well as a channel of commerce for the great metropolis.

   • 1950 April, The Lawn Billiards Company, “Bring Zest to Family Fun-Time”, in Elizabeth Gordon, editor, House Beautiful, volume 92, number 4, New York, N.Y.: Hearst Magazines, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 248, column 1:

     Make a playplace and a showplace of your lawn with Lawn Billiards’ color-brite court equipment—weather-proof plastic balls, enameled metal pockets, streamlined mallets, gleaming markers, etc.

   • 1999, R. Scott Colglazier, “Let’s Go Down to the Garden”, in Touchstones: Spiritual Awakenings in Everyday Life, St. Louis, Mo.: Chalice Press, →ISBN, chapter 6 (Play and Work: Balancing the Sacred Rhythms), page 116:

     Play is the botanical gardens, the dinner table surrounded by friends and graced with the perfect centerpiece, the soccer field dotted with children running breathlessly. I would suggest that this playplace, playfield, playground is related to the idea of sacred space. The garden of Eden became a playground in that it was designated with boundaries as a place for Adam and Eve to enjoy.

   • 2001, Sally Odgers, “No Questions”, in Glory Gate, Auckland: Shortland Publications, →ISBN, page 17:

     Gavven and Mom walked back down the street and around to the playplace on the next street. The playplace wasn’t a school, but most small children went there for two or three hours each day. They enjoyed playing together with the toys and pets. The playplace was a big brick building, but today it, too, was being painted lavender.