vomitorium
1
9.9
A room people wrongly think was used for throwing up during Roman feasts
- noun
- /ˌvɑːməˈtɔːriəm/
:
vomitorio
- Many people mistakenly believe that a vomitorium was a room used for purging food in ancient Rome.
Examples
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The story humorously suggests that guests at Roman feasts would retreat to a vomitorium for their excessive eating.
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Finally, Smedley zipped back to ancient Rome just long enough to steal a magnificent sturgeon from the banquet table of the emperor Nero while that gentleman was busy in the vomitorium.
Fiction book (2001) -
I just want her to stop saying "vomitorium."
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The term vomitorium has become a popular joke among those discussing Roman dining practices.
Surface Forms
vomitorium singular
vomitoria plural
Etymology
Vomitorium is often wrongly thought to be a room where Romans vomited during feasts; this idea comes from the Latin vomere 'to spew out' and the English word vomit, which makes the story easy to believe. A helpful way to remember is that this is a myth and historians say it was not a special vomiting room.