Antechamber

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈæn.tiˌt͡ʃeɪm.bə/

Definitions

1. A secondary space that functions as a transitional area before entering a larger room
2. A small room or area situated before a main space, often used for waiting or as an entry point
3. An intermediate room that serves as a passageway leading into a larger or more important chamber

Etymology: The room you wait in before being admitted to a grander one has a name that looks like it should mean something plain, and it does, though the path to it runs through French. English took the word from Middle French "antichambre," which combined "anti-," meaning "before" in the sense of "in front of," with "chambre," meaning room. The two-part structure is easy to see: a room that comes before the chamber proper. The English spelling was then reshaped to match its parts more closely. Writers began treating the first element as the Latin-derived prefix "ante-," meaning "before," so the word came to look like "ante-" plus "chamber." That remodelling is why the modern spelling differs from its French source, even though the sense never changed.

Synonyms: waiting room, foyer, lobby, entryway, vestibule