A dormitory or sleeping chamber, especially in a monastery or other institutional setting; a medieval term for a communal bedroom.
From Old French 'dortoir,' derived from Latin 'dormitorium' (sleeping place), from 'dormire' (to sleep). The word entered English through Norman French and was commonly used in medieval religious and institutional contexts.
Medieval monks all slept in one massive dortour together—monks couldn't have privacy, which was considered a spiritual discipline. Some dortours in famous monasteries were big enough to house 100+ people, making them one of history's original open-concept bedrooms!
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