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REFERENCE

bedroom

n.
US //ˈbɛˌdɹum// UK //bˈɛdɹuːm// bed·room
  1. 1 a room for sleeping (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    a room in a house or hotel where there is a bed for sleeping.

    a room in a residential dwelling or lodging facility specifically intended for sleeping.

    Example

    The apartment has a large master bedroom and a smaller guest room.

    Example

    The architect designed the master bedroom with large windows to maximise the morning sunlight while ensuring privacy from the street.

  2. 2 sexual activity (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Humorous Informal

    a polite way to talk about sex or romantic life.

    a euphemistic reference to sexual activity or a person's romantic life.

    Example

    They are having some problems in the bedroom lately.

    Example

    The comedian made several jokes about the lack of excitement in his bedroom after ten years of marriage.

    Usage

    Often used in the phrase 'in the bedroom' to imply intimacy without using explicit language.

Origin

From bed + room.

The construction is a straightforward compound, with bed denoting the sleeping apparatus and room the space containing it. No additional layers of meaning or historical contingency are recorded. The term appears in early modern English texts as a direct concatenation of the two words, with no evidence of metaphorical or idiomatic evolution prior to its stabilization in the 16th century.

The absence of a dramatic origin or eccentric namesake leaves the etymology unadorned. The word functions as a literal description of a space designated for sleeping, and no further embellishment is required.

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