Vestibule Meaning
/ˈvɛ.stɪ.bjuːl/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA small entrance hall, antechamber, passage, or room between the outer door and the main hall, lobby, or interior of a building.
nounA small entrance hall, antechamber, passage, or room between the outer door and the main hall, lobby, or interior of a building., A large entrance hall in a temple or palace.
Sentence Examples
You can pass from one train car to another through the vestibule.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The guests waited in the ____ before entering the main ballroom for dinner.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The guests waited in the ____ of the grand hotel until the manager arrived to show them to their local rooms today.
Word Origin & History
Early 17th century, borrowed from French vestibule (“entrance court”), from Latin vestibulum (“forecourt, entrance court; entrance”), from vestiō (“to dress, clothe, vest”) + -bulum (“place, location”, nominal suffix). Doublet of vestibulum.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Lydia's voice was heard in the vestibule; the door was thrown open, and she ran into the room."
— 1813, Jane Austen, chapter 19, in Pride and Prejudice, volume 2:
"The purpose of the vestibule, at least in western Europe, was not to provide a resting-place for penitents, but to deaden the noise outside."
— 1913, Beda Julius Kleinschmidt, “Vestibule”, in Catholic Encyclopedia:
"Some instinct warned Armitage that what was taking place was not a thing for unfortified eyes to see, so he brushed back the crowd with authority as he unlocked the vestibule door."
— 1929 April, H. P. Lovecraft, “The Dunwich Horror/Chapter VI”, in Weird Tales:
"The exit side of the front vestibule contains a sliding door."
— 1912, Electric Railway Journal, volume XL, number 14, page 556:
"The units have transverse seats, two and three astride the passageway with single or double longitudinal seats alongside the two entrance vestibules in each car."
— 1960 November, “New electric multiple-units for British Railways: Glasgow Suburban”, in Trains Illustrated, page 660:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The guests waited in the ____ before entering the main ballroom for dinner.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The guests waited in the ____ of the grand hotel until the manager arrived to show them to their local rooms today.