lobby

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a large entrance or reception room or area
  2. noun the people who support some common cause or business or principle or sectional interest
  3. noun a group of people who try actively to influence legislation

Etymology

From Medieval Latin lobia, lobium, laubia (“a portico, covered way, gallery”), borrowed from Frankish *laubijā (“arbour, shelter”), related to Old English lēaf (“foliage”). More at leaf. Doublet of leaf, lodge, and loggia. Political sense derives from the entrance hall of legislatures, where people traditionally tried to influence legislators because it was the most convenient place to meet them.

In classic literature

Synonyms

anteroom, antechamber, entrance hall, hall, foyer, vestibule

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