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reading room

reading room

5 2.6
A quiet room in a library where people read or study
  • noun
  • /ˈriːdɪŋ ruːm/
translation icon : sala de lectura
  • I often go to the reading room at the library to study for my exams.
  • a reading room in a library

Cabe worked in the British Museum reading room just like Marx did.

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Examples

  • By the time Jan was done checking out books, only a handful of people still lingered in the reading room.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • On the first floor is a reception area, a reading room, and two offices.

    Academic text (1995)
  • That was that little reading room in the hospital.

  • The few people who remained in the reading room were paying no attention to her.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Instead, she used the computers near the reading room, which had free access to the Internet.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Annie sits in the huge reading room, books spread out before her, under a green reading lamp.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Students worked individually with the interventionist in a reading room at School A and in the resource room at School B.

    Academic text (2015)
  • The Kurhaus was the spa's international meeting place, but Pork was now interested in the reading rooms.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The venue also had restaurants, stores, reading rooms, a theater, a bandstand, a ballroom, and a beautiful beach.

    Blog text (27)
  • The hotel reading room routinely included two or three people devouring Mr. Hope's Prisoner of Zenda.

    Fiction book (1993)

Synonyms

study
vsreading room
201 1.1

A room in a house for reading, writing, or quiet work

is a library room reserved for quiet reading and academic work
reading spot
vsreading room
1 2.3

A quiet place to sit and read, like by a window or in a park

is a library room reserved for quiet academic work rather than any chosen place
reading nook
vsreading room
1 3.0

A small comfortable corner with a chair and lamp for reading

is a library room reserved for quiet academic work rather than a small area
bookroom
vsreading room
4.4

A small private room in a home for reading and keeping books

is a library space reserved for quiet reading rather than private book storage

How Quiet

reading room
5 2.6
bookroom
4.4
cafe
206 1.0

Surface Forms

reading room singular
reading rooms plural

Morphology

reading + room

The meaning 'a room reserved for reading or quiet study' is directly and compositionally derived from 'reading' + 'room' — a room for reading. This noun-noun compound follows a transparent, cross-linguistically common pattern and would be readily inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

The name reading room comes from the literal idea: a room set aside for reading. Libraries made quiet rooms where people could read books and old papers, so the name means 'a room reserved for quiet study'.