cloakroom

[ klohk-room, -room ]

noun

1. a room in which outer garments, hats, umbrellas, etc., may be left temporarily, as in a club, restaurant, etc.; checkroom.
2. a room adjacent to a legislative chamber or legislative room, where legislators may leave their coats, relax, or engage in informal conversation.
3. British.
   1. a bathroom; a public restroom.
   2. a baggage room, as at a railway station, where packages and luggage may be left temporarily or checked through to one's destination.

cloakroom

/ -ˌrʊm; ˈkləʊkˌruːm /

noun

1. a room in which hats, coats, luggage, etc, may be temporarily deposited
2. a euphemistic word for lavatory

Word History and Origins

Origin of cloakroom¹

First recorded in 1850–55; cloak + room

Example Sentences

When she walked into the cloakroom that day, she overheard “members comparing stories of how I got their votes. Some with humor”—as was the case with Donnelly’s—and “some not.”

From Slate

My classmates returned from the cafeteria, then scurried off to the cloakroom and the bathrooms and returned.

From Literature

But the concert was sold out in the 6,200-seat hall, so some of the audience was still likely getting food or were shedding their heavy coats in the cloakroom.

From Seattle Times

Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming said she learned “about 15 seconds” before it happened — sitting in the chamber cloakroom when another colleague showed her the news on his phone.

From Seattle Times

It turns out that the justices—at least five of them on the right—are functionally indistinguishable from cynical partisan lawmakers making deals in the Senate cloakroom.

From Slate