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réfectoire

refectory

noun reh-fek-TWAR Rare
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Origin: Late Latin refectorium, 'place of refreshment'

Also means

dining hall

Usage Note

Le réfectoire is the communal dining hall found in schools, monasteries, hospitals, and army barracks — not a restaurant. In everyday French school life, students eat lunch in le réfectoire (or la cantine); the two words are nearly synonymous in the school context, though réfectoire sounds slightly more institutional. The Latin root relates to refaire (to restore, to redo).

Examples

"Les élèves déjeunent au réfectoire."

Natural Translation

The students eat lunch in the dining hall.

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