Room

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɹuːm/, RP and Cockney: /ɹʌm/
• Rhymes: -uːm
• Rhymes: -ÊŒm/

From Middle English roum, rom, rum, from Old English rūm ("roomy, spacious, ample, extensive, large, open, unencumbered, unoccupied, temporal, long, extended, great, liberal, unrestricted, unfettered, clear, loose, free from conditions, free from occupation, not restrained within due limits, lax, far-reaching, abundant, noble, august"), from Proto-Germanic *rūmaz ("roomy, spacious"), from Proto-Indo-European *rowə- ("free space"). Cognate with Scots roum ("spacious, roomy"), Dutch ruim ("roomy, spacious, wide"), Danish rum ("wide, spacious"), Icelandic rúmur ("spacious").

Full definition of room

Adjective

1. (dialectal or obsolete) Wide; spacious; roomy.

From Middle English rome, from Old English rūme ("widely, spaciously, roomily, far and wide, so as to extend over a wide space, liberally, extensively, amply, abundantly, in a high degree, without restriction or encumbrance, without the pressure of care, light-heartedly, without obstruction, plainly, clearly, in detail"). Cognate with Dutch ruim ("amply", adverb.).

Adverb

1. (dialectal or obsolete) Far; at a distance; wide in space or extent.
2. (nautical) Off from the wind.

From Middle English roum, from Old English rūm ("room, space"), from Proto-Germanic *rūmą ("room"), from Proto-Indo-European *rowə- ("free space"). Cognate with Low German Ruum, Dutch ruim ("space"), German Raum ("space, interior space"), Danish rum ("space, locality"), Norwegian rom ("space"), Swedish rum ("space, location"), and also with Latin rūs ("country, field, farm") through Indo-European. More at rural.

Apparently an exception to the Great Vowel Shift, which otherwise would have produced the pronunciation , but /aÊŠ/ does not occur before noncoronal consonants in Modern English.

Noun

1. (now rare) Opportunity or scope (to do something). from 9th c.
• 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Acts I:Thou lorde whiche knowest the hertes of all men, shewe whether thou hast chosen of these two, that the one maye take the roume of this ministracion, and apostleshippe from the which Judas by transgression fell, that he myght goo to his awne place.
• 1748, Samuel Richardson, Clarissa:Nor shalt thou give me room to doubt whether it be necessity or love, that inspires this condescending impulse.
2. (uncountable) Space for something, or to carry out an activity. from 10th c. room
• 2010, Jonathan Franklin, The Guardian, 27 Aug 2010:He explains they have enough room to stand and lie down, points out the "little cup to brush our teeth", and the place where they pray.
3. (archaic) A particular portion of space. from 11th c.
• unknown date Thomas Overbury (c.1581-1613)If he have but twelve pence in his purse, he will give it for the best room in a playhouse.
• unknown date Bible, Luke xiv. 8When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room.
4. (uncountable, figuratively) Sufficient space for or to do something. from 15th c.
• unknown date Joseph Addison (1672-1719)There was no prince in the empire who had room for such an alliance.
• 2010, Roger Bootle, The Telegraph, 12 Sep 2010:There are major disagreements within the Coalition and politicians always want to retain room for manoeuvre.
5. (nautical) A space between the timbers of a ship's frame. from 15th c.
6. (countable) A separate part of a building, enclosed by walls, a floor and a ceiling. from 15th c. room
• 1813, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice:Miss Bingley made no answer, and soon afterwards she got up and walked about the room.
• 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 10, He looked round the poor room, at the distempered walls, and the bad engravings in meretricious frames, the crinkly paper and wax flowers on the chiffonier; and he thought of a room like Father Bryan's, with panelling, with cut glass, with tulips in silver pots, such a room as he had hoped to have for his own.
7. (countable) With possessive pronoun: one's bedroom.
   Go to your room!
• 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, Mr. Pratt's Patients Chapter 6, She was so mad she wouldn't speak to me for quite a spell, but at last I coaxed her into going up to Miss Emmeline's room and fetching down a tintype of the missing Deacon man.
• 1963, Margery Allingham, The China Governess Chapter 20, ‘No. I only opened the door a foot and put my head in. The street lamps shine into that room. I could see him. He was all right. Sleeping like a great grampus. Poor, poor chap.’
8. (in the plural) A set of rooms inhabited by someone; one's lodgings. from 17th c.
9. (always in the singular) The people in a room. from 17th c.
   The room was on its feet.
10. (mining) An area for working in a coal mine. from 17th c. room
11. (caving) A portion of a cave that is wider than a passage. from 17th c. room
12. (Internet, countable) A forum or chat room. from 20th c.
    Some users may not be able to access the AOL room.
13. Place or position in society; office; rank; post, sometimes when vacated by its former occupant.
• unknown date Bible, Matthew ii. 22When he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod.
• unknown date William Tyndale (1494-1536)Neither that I look for a higher room in heaven.
• unknown date William Shakespeare (1564-1616)Let Bianca take her sister's room.

Synonyms

• room elbow room, legroom, space
• room chamber, quarters
• room chamber

Derived terms

Verb

1. To reside, especially as a boarder or tenant.Doctor Watson roomed with Sherlock Holmes at Baker Street.

Derived terms

Anagrams

• moor, Moor
• Moro