dormitory
UK[ˈdɔːmɪtri]US[ˈdɔːrmɪtɔːri]
n
a large bedroom for a number of people in a school or institution.
n
a building at a college or university containing rooms where students live.
Morpheme Breakdown
dormit
ory
dormit
sleep
ory
place for
Etymology
the word dormitory has its roots in the latin verb 'dormire', meaning 'to sleep'. the latin noun 'dormitorium', meaning 'a sleeping place', was formed from this verb. this term was adopted into middle english as 'dormitorie' via old french. the core logic of the word is transparent: it literally means 'a place for sleeping', which evolved to specifically denote a communal sleeping room or a residential building for students.
Analysis
Structure: dormit (sleep) + ory (place for)
dormit originates from latin 'dormire' (to sleep). ory is a suffix of latin origin, used to form nouns denoting a place for a specific activity.
Examples
the university requires all first-year students to live in a dormitory.
the old boarding school had a large, drafty dormitory with twenty beds.
the noise from the dormitory kept the other residents awake.