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oratory1

Pronunciation: /ˈɒrət(ə)ri/

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Definition of oratory

noun (plural oratories)

1a small chapel, especially for private worship.

2 (Oratory) (in the Roman Catholic Church) a religious society of secular priests founded in Rome in 1564 to provide plain preaching and popular services and established in various countries.

Derivatives

Oratorian: oratory¹ (sense 2).

Origin:

Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French oratorie, from ecclesiastical Latin oratorium, based on Latin orare 'pray, speak'; sense 2 is from Congregation of the Fathers of the Oratory