refectory table
1
8.8
- noun
- /rɪˈfɛktəri ˈteɪbəl/
- UK
:
mesa refectorio
- At the far end was a long oak refectory table, inviting everyone to join for a communal feast.
- a long refectory table
- an oak refectory table
Examples
-
An antique glass lamp cast an amber pool over a long refectory table where monks gathered for dinner.
-
Karen sat with Carl at the middle of the refectory table, which was now covered with dozens of crumpled sheets of paper.
Fiction book (1994) -
The refectory table was lit by two tapered candles at either end.
Fiction book (1995) -
Sitting at a 16th-century refectory table in a pool of lamplight, Lecter dips the tip of a fountain pen.
Fiction book (2001) -
We trooped back across the street with our coffee and took seats around a couple of refectory tables, and by half-past five a handful of others had straggled in and the meeting got underway.
Fiction book (1994) -
The refectory table was lit by two tapered candles at either end, creating a warm atmosphere for the evening meal.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A flat-topped piece of furniture with legs used for eating or working
45
1.0
A table where people eat dinner and other meals
23
1.0
A table in a dining room where people eat meals
12
1.0
A table for people to sit around and eat meals together
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'refectory' names a dining hall and 'table' names a piece of dining furniture, so the phrase straightforwardly denotes the table in a refectory. This is a simple attributive noun compound with no idiomatic or metaphorical shift, so a learner who knows both constituents should understand it.
Etymology
Refectory table comes from old monastery dining rooms. A refectory was the room where monks ate and the table was long and narrow for many people, so today it means 'a long table for group meals'.