British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Oxford Dictionaries, "English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadl ...

, a lido ( , ) is a public outdoor

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...

and surrounding facilities, or part of a beach where people can swim, lie in the sun, or participate in water sports. On a

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as ...

ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...

, the lido deck features outdoor pools and related facilities. ''Lido'', an Italian word for "beach", forms part of the place names of several Italian seaside towns known for their beaches, such as

Lido di Venezia The Lido, or Venice Lido ( it, Lido di Venezia), is an barrier island in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy; it is home to about 20,400 residents. The Venice Film Festival takes place at the Lido late August/early September. Geography ...

, the

barrier beach Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a ...

enclosing the Venetian Lagoon. The term may have found its way into English via English visitors returning from the Lido di Venezia, where people have bathed in the sea since the late 19th century. In German speaking countries, a ''Freibad'' is a public outdoor bath with usually several swimming pools for a larger crowd (''frei'', free, refers to the outdoor aspect). This is a common institution even in smaller cities. The Dutch equivalent is ''openluchtbad/openluchtzwembad'' (open air bath) or ''buitenbad'' (outdoor bath).

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Lidos in the UK
{{Authority control Outdoor structures

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