refectory

noun

re·​fec·​to·​ry ri-ˈfek-t(ə-)rē How to pronounce refectory (audio)
plural refectories
: a dining hall (as in a monastery or college)

Examples of refectory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Located in Milan’s Golden Triangle, the store is hidden in plain sight in Via Montenapoleone, as it’s housed inside a former refectory and doesn’t come with flashy banners. Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 27 Feb. 2026 To the left, there’s the marble ruins of the city’s gymnasium, a kind of college campus for trainee soldiers, complete with bathhouse and refectory. Barry Neild, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025 The Washington Post reported this year that the drink is sold in the Senate refectory and in a Celsius vending machine in the House of Representatives basement, while House Speaker Mike Johnson keeps a stash in his office fridge. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 31 July 2025 Ludovico Sforza commissioned the church, Santa Maria delle Grazie, as a final resting place for his family, along with Da Vinci’s The Last Supper, which was painted on a refectory wall. Catherine Sabino, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025 Black and white photos from 1927 delightfully capture the people and activities across its eight stories, from the salons to the ateliers to the refectory and staff kitchen—even a photo studio. Amy Verner, Vogue, 7 May 2025 Photo: Google Maps Like many condos, this one comes with lots of amenities and perks not found in co-ops, including a swimming pool in the seminary’s former refectory and a reading room with a great books collection. Kim Velsey, Curbed, 21 Nov. 2024 And along the north wall of the cloister, in a space that was once the nun’s refectory, is the most famous, albeit uncompleted, work of art in all of San Miguel de Allende—a powerful abstract mural by both David Alfaro Siqueiros, one of Mexico’s most famous muralists, and his students. Condé Nast Traveler, 13 July 2017

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French refectorie, from Late Latin refectorium, from Latin reficere

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of refectory was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Refectory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refectory. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

refectory

noun
re·​fec·​to·​ry ri-ˈfek-t(ə-)rē How to pronounce refectory (audio)
plural refectories
: a dining hall
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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