antechambers
|an-te-cham-ber|
🇺🇸
/ˈæn.tɪ.tʃeɪ.bɚz/
🇬🇧
/ˈæn.tɪ.tʃeɪ.bəz/
(antechamber)
room before main room / preliminary stage
Etymology
'antechamber' originates from French, specifically the word 'antechambre', where 'ante-' meant 'before' and 'chambre' meant 'room'.
'antechamber' came into English from Middle French/Anglo-Norman 'antechambre'; the French element 'chambre' itself traces back to Latin 'camera' meaning 'room' or 'chamber'.
Initially it meant 'a room before another room' in a literal, architectural sense; over time it retained this meaning and also developed a figurative sense of 'a preliminary stage' or 'prelude'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a small room or area that leads into a larger, main room; a waiting room or entrance chamber.
Guests waited in the antechambers before the ceremony began.
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Noun 2
a preliminary stage or area that precedes a more important event or situation (figurative use).
Those negotiations were merely antechambers to the final agreement.
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Last updated: 2025/08/21 12:07