withdrawing room
1
9.9
- noun
- Archaic
:
salón
- Vespasia was out when Charlotte arrived at her house, but the parlormaid informed her she would be back in no more than half an hour, and if Charlotte cared to wait, she could take tea in the withdrawing room.
Examples
-
The girl returned and showed her into the withdrawing room, where a large fire burned in spite of the clement weather.
Fiction book (1990) -
She arrived a little after eleven o'clock and found her mother already gone out on an errand, and her grandmother sitting in the big, old withdrawing room by the fire, full of indignation.
Fiction book (1993) -
Go back to the withdrawing room and read a book.
Fiction book (1993) -
Then please come through to the withdrawing room.
Fiction book (1990) -
The old lady was standing in the entrance to the withdrawing room, having heard the carriage draw up.
Fiction book (1993) -
Lady Cumming-Gould is in the withdrawing room, if you care to go through.
Fiction book (1990) -
She returned a few moments later and showed Zenobia into the withdrawing room.
Fiction book (1990) -
Then she yielded to her curiosity and sent the maid to fetch him to the withdrawing room, where she sat in a bright pink overstuffed chair.
Fiction book (1990) -
The guests were welcomed into the withdrawing room, where they enjoyed light refreshments and conversation.
-
After the formal dinner, everyone moved to the withdrawing room to enjoy some drinks and share stories.
Synonyms
20
1.6
A room in a house where people sit and talk
20
4.2
A formal room where guests are received and entertained
4
3.2
A room in a house or hotel where visitors wait and the host meets them
How Private
- Archaic
1
9.9
201
1.1
- US
186
4.4
617
1.0
4
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is built transparently from 'withdraw' (to remove oneself) + 'room' (an indoor space), so a learner can infer it refers to a room one withdraws to — i.e. a private or retiring room. However, the specific conventional function as a formal reception/entertaining space and its somewhat archaic register are not fully predictable from the parts, making it only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The phrase withdrawing room comes from the old habit of guests withdrawing, that is 'moving away', from the main hall into a smaller, quieter room. So it came to mean a formal room used for private visits and small gatherings.