refectory

Definitions

From Latin reficere, 're-make, restore' (re- 'again' + fect, the weakened fac 'make'). A refectory is literally 'a place for being remade' — where monks restored themselves with food. Same re- + fic that gives 'refreshment.'

Why It Means This

The hidden idea is restoration: to refect was to remake the body with a meal. The room where that happens — in monasteries and old colleges — kept the name long after the verb fell out of use.

Common Collocations

• 1.college refectory学院食堂
• 2.monastery refectory修道院餐厅
• 3.refectory table长餐桌

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The students gathered in the refectory for the evening meal.

• 2.

  A long refectory table ran the length of the hall.