ˈdȯ(r)məˌtōrē, -tȯr-, -ri noun
( -es )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Latin dormitorium, from dormitus + -orium -ory
1. : a room intended primarily to be slept in ; especially : a large room providing sleeping quarters for many persons and sometimes divided into cubicles
2. : a residence hall providing separate rooms or suites for individuals or for groups of two, three, or four with common toilet and bathroom facilities but usually without housekeeping facilities
most of the students of the college live in dormitories
reading in the dormitory of the fire station
— called also hostel
3. archaic : a retreat for taking rest
4. obsolete : a place for repose of the dead
5. : a residential community consisting of homes for sleeping and personal activities from which the majority of the working population commute to places of employment, trade, and recreation
brings the millions from their dormitory suburbs to their benches and desks and takes them home again at night — Sam Pollock