vestibule

 
Pronunciation: /ˈvɛstɪbjuːl/

noun

  • 1an antechamber, hall, or lobby next to the outer door of a building.
  • an enclosed entrance compartment in a railway carriage.
  • 2 Anatomy a chamber or channel opening into another, in particular:
  • the central cavity of the labyrinth of the inner ear.
  • the part of the mouth outside the teeth.
  • the space in the vulva into which both the urethra and vagina open.

Derivatives

vestibuled

adjective

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'