Pl.: nymphaea

Originally a cave in which water surged, and which was dedicated to the Nymphs. In an architectural meaning, it denotes a monumental fountain. These could be freestanding or included in another structure, and they often had an elaborately decorated façade with columns, niches and statues. In Roman baths, nymphaea could form the monumental façade of a natatio or, in a more modest form, the background of a piscina. Alternatively, they were incorporated in the perimeter wall of larger bathhouses.

The nymphaeum of the Suburban Baths of Pompeii (Allison Smith).