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bedroom

Etymology and origin of the English word bedroom

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1590
Ultimate origin
English (bed,room)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈbed.rʊm/, /ˈbed.ruːm/, US /ˈbed.ruːm/, /ˈbed.rʊm/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of bed and room.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Room in a bed, sleeping space: 1590 in the OED, the 1580s in Etymonline, a use of Shakespeare's.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

A room meant to hold a bed, a sleeping room, is from 1616 in the OED, 1600 in MWU and the 1610s in Etymonline.[4][3][2] It replaced the earlier bedchamber (late 14th century), and Old English had bedbur and bedcofa.[2] As an adjective, implying a sexual relationship, it is from 1915,[4] and bedroom eyes is from 1901.[2] MWU dates the adjective to 1900.[3]

Timeline

  • 1590 – room in a bed.[4]
  • 1600 – a room for sleeping.[3]
  • 1901 – bedroom eyes.[2]
  • 1915 – adjective, sexy.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A room for sleeping in.

Adjective

  1. Relating to sex: bedroom scenes.
  2. Inhabited by commuters: a bedroom suburb.

Word family

  • bedroomed
  • master bedroom

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Bedroom.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/bedroom. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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