inn

[in]

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noun

a commercial establishment that provides lodging, food, etc., for the public, especially travelers; small hotel.
a tavern.
(initial capital letter) British.
1. any of several buildings in London formerly used as places of residence for students, especially law students.Compare Inns of Court.
2. a legal society occupying such a building.

Origin of inn

before 1000; Middle English, Old English in(n) house; akin to Old Norse inni (adv.) within, in the house

Related formsinn·less, adjective

Synonyms for inn

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1. hostelry. See hotel.

Inn

[in]

noun

a river in central Europe, flowing from S Switzerland through Austria and Germany into the Danube. 320 miles (515 km) long.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for inn

tavern, motel, hotel, resort, lodge, saloon, hostel, hospice, hostelry, roadhouse, auberge

Examples from the Web for inn

Contemporary Examples of inn

The Ishikawa region is also the perfect place to stay a traditional Japanese inn, called ryokan—try Beniya Mukayu.
Why Your Next Vacation Will Be in Turkmenistan
Brandon Presser
December 13, 2014
With these words I kissed him on the forehead and left the inn.
Book Bag: Beguiling if Unlikely Travel Books
Sean Wilsey
September 4, 2014
Huang hurriedly wrote her story on two slips of paper, hiding one on her body and another on the wall of an inn.
'Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom' by Stephen R. Platt: Review
Ross Perlin
March 9, 2012
Redford still admired him, saying he was “isolated from the world, free of self-contempt, managing an inn at the edge of nowhere.”
10 Revelations About Robert Redford
The Daily Beast
May 8, 2011
Redford got on well with the owner of the inn, and the two spent days listening to music, and indulging in drunken conversation.
10 Revelations About Robert Redford
The Daily Beast
May 8, 2011

Historical Examples of inn

In the light of morning the isolation of the inn is more apparent than at night.
Yorkshire Painted And Described
Gordon Home
Scene changes to an inn on the coast within a few yards of Paris.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 8, May 21, 1870
Various
Here was an offer which the company in an English inn at that or any other date are slow to refuse.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
Better to sleep here at this inn, and then travel on to Minstead in the morning.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
The oddest part of these experiences is that the dirtier the inn the better the fare.
The Roof of France
Matilda Betham-Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for inn

inn

noun

a pub or small hotel providing food and accommodation
(formerly, in England) a college or hall of residence for students, esp of law, now only in the names of such institutions as the Inns of Court

Word Origin for inn

Old English; compare Old Norse inni inn, house, place of refuge

Inn

noun

a river in central Europe, rising in Switzerland in Graubünden and flowing northeast through Austria and Bavaria to join the River Danube at Passau: forms part of the border between Austria and Germany. Length: 514 km (319 miles)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for inn

Old English inn "lodging, dwelling, house," probably from inne (adv.) "inside, within" (see in). Meaning "public house with lodging" is perhaps by c.1200, certainly by c.1400. Meaning "lodging house or residence for students" is early 13c. in Anglo-Latin, obsolete except in names of buildings that were so used (e.g. Inns of Court, mid-15c.).