Chapterhouse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A venue utilized for assemblies, particularly within ecclesiastical settings, where members convene for organizational and administrative functions
2. A facility employed by religious communities to hold meetings and discussions essential to their governance and activities
3. A room or building used by a religious group for holding meetings and managing affairs

Etymology: A chapter house is the room in a cathedral or monastery where the community gathered for its daily meetings. The name is literal: the monks or canons assembled to hear a chapter, a passage read aloud from the rule that governed their order, and then discussed community business. The room took its name from that reading, so the "chapter" is the text and the "house" is the room where it was heard. The word is written both as one word and as two, and the two spellings are interchangeable. Its sense of a meeting place followed from the function of the room itself, so the building came first and the general idea of a gathering space came later. Many chapter houses survive in English cathedrals, often as octagonal or polygonal halls, and they are among the best-preserved examples of the form.

Synonyms: meeting room, assembly room