third place

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English

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Etymology

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Coined by American urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg in 1989.

Noun

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third place (plural third places)

  1. (urban studies, sociology) A social space separate from the two usual social environments of home (“first place”) and the workplace (“second place”), such as a bar or public library.
    • 2018 September 4, Elle Hunt, “Tell us about your 'third place' – where you connect with your community”, in The Guardian[1]:
      The “third place” is a public, social place where you spend time that is neither home nor work. Whether it is publicly run, like a library, or a commercial venture, it is, above all, shared – a site of community-building and interaction with others.
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see third,‎ place.

Further reading

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