Bedehouse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of shelter designed to aid the impoverished and travelers by offering accommodation and support services through charitable efforts and community assistance
2. An establishment focused on providing lodging and care for those in need, particularly for the poor and wayfarers, often linked to charitable organizations
3. A charitable institution that provides lodging and assistance to individuals in need, especially the destitute and those traveling through an area

Etymology: In Old English, "bed" meant a prayer or petition, and the noun form "gebed" meant prayer. A bedehouse was originally a house where poor residents, called bedesmen, were housed on the condition that they prayed for the souls of their benefactors, often a founder or a local lord. Charity and prayer were tied together, so the lodging was given in return for those prayers, and the emphasis on devotion was central. The word also explains a more familiar object. The same root gave Middle English "bede," which became "bead." Beads were strung on a cord and moved through the fingers to keep count of prayers, so the small round object took its name from the act of praying. A bedesman, in this sense, was someone who kept such prayers on behalf of others.