dormitory

American  

[dawr-mi-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / ˈdɔr mɪˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

noun

plural

dormitories

1. a building, as at a college, containing a number of private or semiprivate rooms for residents, usually along with common bathroom facilities and recreation areas.

2. a room containing a number of beds and serving as communal sleeping quarters, as in an institution, fraternity house, or passenger ship.

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dormitory British  

/ -trɪ, ˈdɔːmɪtərɪ /

noun

1. a large room, esp at a school or institution, containing several beds

2. a building, esp at a college or camp, providing living and sleeping accommodation

3. (modifier) denoting or relating to an area from which most of the residents commute to work (esp in the phrase dormitory suburb )

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Etymology

Origin of dormitory

1475–85; < Latin dormītōrium bedroom, equivalent to dormī ( re ) to sleep + -tōrium -tory ²

Example Sentences

Lam Thanh, 50, who manages a dormitory for workers near one of Ho Chi Minh City's estimated 1,000 courts, says the cacophony is proving to be costly.

From Barron's

There was a two-story parking garage where patrons could have their limousines serviced as well as casitas to rent for the season and a dormitory for working women above the shops.

From Los Angeles Times

“Focusing on Building 13 early has a chance to make a statement that this place is more than just a bunch of dormitories,” Rosenfeld, the former advisory board member, said.

From Los Angeles Times

The Boston Symphony Orchestra had acquired the property a few years earlier, turning the main house into dormitory housing for student musicians at Tanglewood, its prestigious summer music academy, with an affiliated festival.

From The Wall Street Journal

For now, he said, families are crowded into a block of 20 buildings with one-room student dormitories roughly six miles away from the camp.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bedroom
• dorm
• dorm room