roundhouse

[ round-hous ]

noun

, plural round·hous·es [round, -hou-ziz].

1. a building for the servicing and repair of locomotives, built around a turntable in the form of some part of a circle.
2. Nautical. a cabin on the after part of a quarterdeck.
3. Slang. a punch in which the arm is typically brought straight out to the side or rear of the body and in which the fist describes an exaggerated circular motion.
4. Also called round trip. Pinochle. a meld of one king and queen of each suit.

roundhouse

/ ˈraʊndˌhaʊs /

noun

1. a circular building in which railway locomotives are serviced or housed, radial tracks being fed by a central turntable
2. slang.
   boxing
   1. a swinging punch or style of punching
   2. ( as modifier )

      a roundhouse style

3. pinochle a meld of all four kings and queens
4. an obsolete word for jail
5. obsolete.
   a cabin on the quarterdeck of a sailing ship

Word History and Origins

Origin of roundhouse¹

First recorded in 1580–90; round ¹ + house

Example Sentences

Between the walls of an Iron Age roundhouse, nail cleaners and bone spoons were discovered.

From Time

What they and the Iron Age souls who inhabited the roundhouse appear to do differently from me is leave these artifacts intact, on display or stored away.

From Time

Above-the-knee amputees can go for a prosthesis with a bionic knee joint that allows for a more familiar up-and-down running action, or one that creates a straight leg from hip to blade and requires a roundhouse stride.

From Outside Online

At the moment, Gingrich is carefully jabbing at Romney, not throwing roundhouse punches.

From The Daily Beast

In the end, the Iowa roundhouse may only delay the real train wreck to come.

From The Daily Beast

At seventeen he was transferred to the roundhouse; at nineteen he apprenticed himself to the machinist trade.

From Project Gutenberg

Maunders, as one who had known him well remarked long afterwards, "was too crooked to sleep in a roundhouse."

From Project Gutenberg

The engine that has pulled it in from the road backs itself down to the roundhouse, without another thought of the train.

From Project Gutenberg

This is within the mountain country, and the gossip that you get around the roundhouse is all of grades.

From Project Gutenberg

When they were done shoving and bunting there, they had no time to run back to the roundhouse and get a rake.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bat
• blow
• punch
• shot
• swing