[ noun ] a communal dining-hall (usually in a monastery) <noun.artifact>
Refectory \Re*fec"to*ry\ (-[-o]*r[y^]), n.; pl.; {Refectories} (-r?z). [{LL}. refectorium: cf. F. r['e]fectoire. See {Refection}.] A room for refreshment; originally, a dining hall in monasteries or convents.
Note: Sometimes pronounced r[e^]f"[e^]k*t[-o]*r[y^], especially when signifying the eating room in monasteries.
The north side of the original cloister was the refectory of the convent and is now the college hall.