great hall
8
5.1
- noun
:
gran salón
- The guests gathered in the great hall for the evening banquet.
- the great hall of the castle
- ceiling of the great hall
- door to the great hall
Examples
-
The three of us were brought to Brastius' great hall, awaiting his return or the coming of Myrddin.
Fiction book (1991) -
Narrator: The Knight leads Vivien into the great hall of the castle.
Fiction book (1998) -
Am I not welcome in this great hall?
-
Food will be left for us in their great hall.
-
We had not been given a room, so we went back to the great hall.
Fiction book (1991) -
But Nick preferred to remain standing and walked slowly through the great hall.
Fiction book (1998) -
Miss Craddock came downstairs, spoke with Hugh in the great hall, and went back to her room.
Fiction book (1993) -
We'd dance right here in the great hall of this preposterous house of yours!
-
The action begins in the Great Hall of Denmark, as King Rothgar and his people celebrate what they hope will be the start of a peaceful new era.
-
All this takes place in the great hall with its garden beyond, of the palace of Duke Alvise, a Venetian nobleman.
Synonyms
314
1.0
A large space for public gatherings like concerts or feasts
201
1.0
A room in a house where people eat meals together
97
2.3
A large room where people dance at formal events
20
2.1
A large room in a college where many students eat meals
3
2.7
A large room in a school or community centre where people gather for meetings and events
2
1.0
A room in a house where people eat meals together
A large main room in an old house or castle used for gatherings and ceremonies
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning "the main and largest hall" is directly and transparently derived from combining 'great' (very large or important) with 'hall' (a large room for gatherings). This adjectival + noun composition is a standard, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The noun great hall comes from old castles and big houses, where the word great meant 'very big' and the hall was the main room for meals and gatherings. Imagine a long table and many people under a high roof. That's why great hall still means the largest room used for dining and meetings.