Antichamber

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A vestibule or small waiting room that precedes a more important chamber serves as a transitional space for individuals entering a principal area
2. A small antechamber or waiting area that leads into a more significant room
3. An entry room or lobby that serves as a space before entering the main chamber

Etymology: "Antichamber" is built from two parts that have drifted apart in meaning. The "chamber" half is the familiar word for a room, from Old French "chambre," ultimately from Latin "camera," a vaulted room. The "anti-" half comes from Latin "ante," meaning "before" or "in front of," so the literal sense is a room that lies in front of a larger, more important room. Its job was to stand between you and the main chamber, a waiting space for visitors in a palace or grand house. The word came into English by way of Middle French "antichambre," which carried the same sense of an outer room that a visitor passed through before reaching the inner apartments. Its structure is transparent: "anti-" in the sense of "before" is the same element that appears in "antecedent" and "antecedent" relatives, not the more familiar "anti-" meaning "against."

Synonyms: waiting room, antechamber, foyer