Refectory
/rɪˈfɛktəri/noun
A room, especially in a monastery or school, where meals are eaten.
Did you know?Its root is the same Latin *reficere*, “to make again” or “restore,” because eating was literally treated as a way to renew the body.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheh₁-
“to put, place, set”
Latin
Latin
facere
“to do, make”
Latin
Latin
reficere
“to remake, repair, restore”
Late Latin
Latin
refectorium
“a place for restoring oneself, especially by eating”
Old French
Old French
refectoire
“a dining hall, especially in a religious house”
Middle English
English
refectory
“a dining room in a monastery or college”