field house

See also: fieldhouse

English

Alternative forms

• fieldhouse

Etymology

From Middle English *feldhous, from Old English feldhūs (“a tent”), equivalent to field +‎ house. Modern sense is from 1895, originally, a side building by an outdoor sports field, later used for large buildings for indoor sports.

Noun

field house (plural field houses)

1. (rare) A tent.
2. (Canada, US) A large building for indoor sports, particularly at colleges.
   • 2001, Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections:

     There were herds of leather sofas and enough computers to ensure that no prospective matriculant or visiting parent could enter a room and not see at least one available keyboard, not even in the dining hall or field house.

3. (Canada, US) A building for equipment storage and changing rooms (locker rooms) by an outdoor sports field.