refectory
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of refectory
1475–85; < Late Latin refectōrium, equivalent to Latin refec-, combining form of reficere to renew ( see refect) + -tōrium -tory 2
Explanation
A fancy word for a dining hall, or a place for communal meals, is a refectory. It is usually used to describe a dining hall in a religious institution, like where monks eat together. The word refectory comes from the Latin word reficere which means "to restore, renew." A meal together is a great way of restoring unity to a group. Nothing renews community like a great dinner, and the conversation that occurs around it. Lunch in your school's refectory? Maybe not so much.
Vocabulary lists containing refectory
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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Jane Eyre
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The royal couple will also formally open the minster's new Refectory Restaurant as part of their visit.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2023
That's not the only thing the Refectory Kitchen feels good about.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2018
Optional activities include a noon Eucharist in Immanuel Chapel and noon lunch in the Refectory.
From Washington Post • Mar. 4, 2016
Our attention will next be directed to the Deanery, sometime thought to have been the Refectory, but was more probably the Guest-hall for the entertainment of strangers and others visiting the monastery.
From Ely Cathedral by Anonymous
And they were making it a merry one; the Refectory table was being loaded with the best that was left to them in meals and drinks.
From The Free Lances A Romance of the Mexican Valley by Reid, Mayne
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
