vestibule
/ˈvɛstɪbjuːl
/noun
1An antechamber, hall, or lobby next to the outer door of a building.The trio rounded the end of the shelves and saw a crouched form behind the stone archway that made up the division between the vestibule and the main hall of the library....
- The main room was a rectangle with various antechambers and vestibules branching off down its length.
- The public entrance penetrates the knuckle between the angled wing and the auditorium leading to a vestibule that gives access to the concert hall foyer and promenading space at ground level.
Synonyms
entrance hall, hall, hallway, entrance, porch, portico, foyer, reception area, lobby, anteroom, antechamber, outer room, waiting room
1.1An enclosed entrance compartment in a railway carriage.Why else, then, do I hang out in the vestibules of trains, when a comfortable seat is at hand in the car behind me?...
- Just as a conductor got near us, he had to go to the vestibule once more.
- We got to ride while standing in the vestibule at the end of the train talking to the crew.
2 Anatomy A chamber or channel opening into another, in particular:No clear correlation was observed between the number of chloride ions present in the channel vestibule and the probability of water-filled state of the constriction....
- Seven side channels lead from the vestibule to the cell's exterior, exiting near the membrane surface.
- The reason is that the toxins have a conical shape, which is complementary to the channel conical vestibule.
2.1The central cavity of the labyrinth of the inner ear.The perception of spatial movement and orientation of the body as a whole also involves a fluid filled receptor system located in the vestibules of the inner ear....
- Maximal exposure is required if safe total tumour removal is to be achieved however the surgeon must avoid inadvertent injury to the cochlea, superior semicircular canal, vestibule or the labyrinthine segment of the facial nerve.
2.2The part of the mouth outside the teeth.
2.3The space in the vulva into which both the urethra and vagina open.
Derivatives
vestibuled
- All were vestibuled except the tourist sleeper immediately in front of the dining car.
- One of the buses that have been designed for the city transport corporations of the country are the vestibuled buses.
- Each rake comprised of three articulated vehicles, and was vestibuled throughout.
Origin
Early 17th century (denoting the space in front of the main entrance of a classical Roman or Greek building): from French, or from Latin vestibulum 'entrance court'.