dormitory

Everyday

1. A large bedroom with many beds, such as in a boarding school, camp or hostel. tree →
2. (US) A college or university building where students live; often shortened to «dorm». tree →
3. (UK, also «dormitory town») A town where people live but travel elsewhere to work. tree →

In the lessons

In school stories, especially boarding-school ones, the dormitory is where children sleep and have midnight feasts. On school trips and camps, pupils share dormitories. In geography, a dormitory town or suburb shows commuting patterns. Phrases: «in the dormitory», «dormitory town», «lights out».

Examples

• We slept in a dormitory with twelve bunk beds on camp. tree →
• The girls had a midnight feast in the dormitory. tree →
• My cousin lives in a university dormitory. tree →
• Lights out in the dormitory is at nine. tree →
• The boarding school has a dormitory for each year group. tree →
• Many commuters live in the dormitory town and work in the city. tree →

Note

Plural: dormitories (change «y» to «ies»). Informal short form: dorm. From Latin «dormire», to sleep (as in dormant).