日耳曼字根 N34 · room:房间·空间(PIE *h₁rewe-)

GERMANIC ROOT · N034 · 日耳曼字根

room / rūm房间 · 室 · 空间 · 余地

PIE root *rewə- 「to open, space」

语源:日耳曼本族(非借词)
古英语形容词/名词:rūm「空间、宽敞」
共时词族:7 词

同源词跨语言对照 COGNATES ACROSS LANGUAGES

room 本是形容词「宽敞」,后名词化为「房间」;拉丁 rus「乡野」遥相呼应,但无单根页。

N · GERMANIC 日耳曼

*rewə- → PGmc *rūmaz → OE rūm

room

本族同根:bedroom · bathroom · classroom · playroom · washroom · roommate(详见本页)

L · LATIN 拉丁

*rewə- → Latin rus「乡野、开阔地」,无单根页

rus-L 篇待补

rural「乡村的」与 room 的「开阔」意象同源

G · GREEK 希腊

希腊同源不显,未立单根页

—G 篇待补

room 的「空间」义为日耳曼本族独立发展

词义内核:room 本是形容词「宽敞、开阔」,后转指「围出来的空间」即房间。它与 rural「乡村的」共享「开阔」意象。

日耳曼语支内同源:古诺斯 rúm「空间」、德语 Raum「空间、房间」、荷兰 ruim。

词根的形态扩展 ROOT EXTENSIONS

room 是名词,词族几乎全由「限定成分 + room」的复合构成。

N + room

bed / bæþ + rūm

「…之室」

bedroom 卧室 · bathroom 浴室 · classroom 教室

动名词 + room

plegian / wascan + rūm

「做…之室」

playroom 游戏室 · washroom 盥洗室

room + N

rūm + gemetta

「同屋者」

roommate 室友 · roomy 宽敞的

音变小注 SOUND CHANGES

从 rūm 到现代 room,三次关键语音变化。

①长 u 的保持

长 /uː/ 未参与大推移,保留为 /uː/:room /ruːm/、bedroom /ˈbedruːm/。

②浊化变体 /ʊm/

部分复合词弱读为 /ʊm/:darkroom /ˈdɑːrkrʊm/、bathroom 偶读 /bæθrʊm/。

③复合词重音

本族复合词重音落在首成分:classroom /ˈklæsruːm/、playroom /ˈpleɪruːm/、roommate /ˈruːmmeɪt/。

④-mate 的来源

roommate 的 -mate 来自古英语 gemetta「分食者」,与 meat「食物」同源。

形态纵深 MORPHOLOGY

room 源自古英语形容词 rūm,三词干由复合派生与施事构成。

主词干 STEM

*rūmaz

OE rūm

复合词干Ⅰ

bed + rūm

bedroom

复合词干Ⅱ

rūm + gemetta

roommate

拼写演变 · 文献证据(据 OED Forms)

词位 古英语/源 中古英语 现代
主词 rūm rum room
卧室 — bedchaumber bedroom(16c)
室友 — — roommate(18c)

三个关键事实:① room 本是形容词「宽敞」,名词化后指房间;② 现代 -room 复合能产性极强(boardroom、darkroom、newsroom);③ legroom、headroom 是「空间」义的抽象延伸。

bed-OE bedd「床」:bedroom
bath-OE bæþ「浴」:bathroom
class-拉丁语 classis「班」:classroom
play-OE plegian「玩」:playroom
-mateOE gemetta「分食者」:roommate

语义地图 SEMANTIC MAP

room 各义由「宽敞、空间」经引申逐级扩展;节点标注认知机制与年代。

宽敞(形)

OE

→

空间、余地

转喻 · OE

→

房间、室

ME
抽象余地

room for improvement

→

伸腿/头顶空间

隐喻 · legroom
习语:make room「腾地方」· there’s room for…「有…的余地」· room to spare「绰绰有余」· room service「客房送餐」· leave room for「留出余地」· elbow room「活动余地」。
room/ruːm/S 核心
room

房间 名

古英语 rūm「空间、宽敞」< PGmc *rūmaz < PIE *rewə-

名 房间,室,空间,余地

衍

roomy adj 宽敞的 boardroom n 董事会 darkroom n 暗室 newsroom n 编辑室

▪ There are four rooms in the old house.
这座老房子有四个房间。

▪ This big desk takes up too much room.
这张大桌子占了太多空间。

▪ We booked a quiet room on the top floor.
我们在顶楼订了一间安静的房间。

▪ There is still room for improvement in the work.
这份工作仍有改进的余地。

bedroom/ˈbedruːm/S 核心
bedroom

床 室

bedd「床」+ rūm

名 卧室,寝室

▪ The bedroom faces the garden in the morning.
卧室早晨朝向花园。

▪ We painted the bedroom pale blue last summer.
去年夏天我们把卧室漆成了淡蓝色。

▪ Two wooden beds filled the small bedroom.
两张木床摆满了这间小卧室。

▪ She reads a book in the bedroom before sleep.
她睡前在卧室里读一会儿书。

bathroom/ˈbæθruːm/S 核心
bathroom

浴 室

bæþ「浴」+ rūm

名 浴室,卫生间,洗手间

▪ The bathroom is down the hall on the left.
卫生间在走廊的左边。

▪ He went into the bathroom to wash his hands.
他走进浴室洗手。

▪ The hotel room has a bright private bathroom.
这间酒店客房带一间明亮的独立卫浴。

▪ The bathroom door was locked from inside.
浴室门从里面锁上了。

classroom/ˈklæsruːm/S 核心
classroom

班级 室

classis(拉丁)+ rūm

名 教室,课堂

▪ The students sat quietly in the classroom.
学生们安静地坐在教室里。

▪ There are thirty desks in the bright classroom.
这间明亮的教室里有三十张课桌。

▪ The teacher wrote a sentence on the classroom board.
老师在教室黑板上写了一个句子。

▪ We cleaned the classroom after school.
放学后我们打扫了教室。

playroom/ˈpleɪruːm/A
playroom

玩 室

plegian「玩」+ rūm

名 游戏室,娱乐室

▪ The children laugh loudly in the playroom.
孩子们在游戏室里大声欢笑。

▪ The new house has a bright playroom upstairs.
新房子楼上有一间明亮的游戏室。

▪ Tidy toys belong back in the playroom.
玩具收拾好放回游戏室。

▪ She turned the spare bedroom into a playroom.
她把空卧室改成了游戏室。

washroom/ˈwɑːʃruːm/A
washroom

洗 室

wascan「洗」+ rūm

名 洗手间,盥洗室

▪ The washroom is down the hall on the right.
洗手间在走廊尽头右边。

▪ He asked where the ladies washroom was.
他问女洗手间在哪里。

▪ The clean washroom had fresh towels.
干净的盥洗室里有新毛巾。

▪ Please wash your hands in the washroom.
请在盥洗室洗手。

roommate/ˈruːmmeɪt/A
roommate

房间 伙伴

rūm + gemetta「分食者」

名 室友

▪ My roommate and I share the rent.
我和室友分摊房租。

▪ A quiet roommate makes study much easier.
一位安静的室友让学习轻松许多。

▪ Her old roommate now lives abroad.
她从前的室友现在住在国外。

▪ The new roommate brought a small guitar.
新来的室友带了一把小吉他。

ballroom/ˈbɔːlruːm/C
room

舞厅;大舞厅

古英语 room 家族:room(跳舞之大厅);< PIE *rewə-

名 舞厅;大舞厅

▪ They met near the ballroom after the work was finished.
工作结束后,他们在舞厅附近碰面。

▪ The new ballroom opened to the public last month.
新的舞厅上个月向公众开放。

▪ Many visitors gather at the ballroom during the summer.
夏天有许多游客聚集在舞厅。

▪ The ballroom is located just outside the center of the city.
舞厅就坐落在市中心外侧。

boardroom/ˈbɔːrdruːm/C
room

董事会会议室

古英语 room 家族:room(董事议事之室);< PIE *rewə-

名 董事会会议室

▪ They met near the boardroom after the work was finished.
工作结束后,他们在董事会会议室附近碰面。

▪ The new boardroom opened to the public last month.
新的董事会会议室上个月向公众开放。

▪ Many visitors gather at the boardroom during the summer.
夏天有许多游客聚集在董事会会议室。

▪ The boardroom is located just outside the center of the city.
董事会会议室就坐落在市中心外侧。

dining room/ˈdaɪnɪŋ ruːm/C
room

餐厅;饭厅

古英语 room 家族:room(进餐之室);< PIE *rewə-

名 餐厅;饭厅

▪ They met near the dining room after the work was finished.
工作结束后,他们在餐厅附近碰面。

▪ The new dining room opened to the public last month.
新的餐厅上个月向公众开放。

▪ Many visitors gather at the dining room during the summer.
夏天有许多游客聚集在餐厅。

▪ The dining room is located just outside the center of the city.
餐厅就坐落在市中心外侧。

elbow room/ˈelboʊ ruːm/C
room

可伸肘空间;活动余地

古英语 room 家族:room(容肘活动之空间);< PIE *rewə-

副 可伸肘空间;活动余地

▪ The team elbow room finished the task before the deadline.
团队在截止日前可伸肘空间完成了任务。

▪ She elbow room checked the results and then signed the form.
她可伸肘空间核对了结果,然后签了表。

▪ The rules were elbow room changed at the start of the year.
这些规则在年初被可伸肘空间修改了。

▪ He spoke elbow room so that everyone could understand.
他可伸肘空间发言,好让每个人都听懂。

headroom/ˈhedruːm/C
room

头顶空间;净空高度

古英语 room 家族:room(头上空间);< PIE *rewə-

名 头顶空间;净空高度

▪ They met near the headroom after the work was finished.
工作结束后,他们在头顶空间附近碰面。

▪ The new headroom opened to the public last month.
新的头顶空间上个月向公众开放。

▪ Many visitors gather at the headroom during the summer.
夏天有许多游客聚集在头顶空间。

▪ The headroom is located just outside the center of the city.
头顶空间就坐落在市中心外侧。

legroom/ˈleɡruːm/C
room

座椅前)伸腿空间

古英语 room 家族:room(容腿空间);< PIE *rewə-

名 座椅前)伸腿空间

▪ They met near the legroom after the work was finished.
工作结束后,他们在伸腿空间附近碰面。

▪ The new legroom opened to the public last month.
新的伸腿空间上个月向公众开放。

▪ Many visitors gather at the legroom during the summer.
夏天有许多游客聚集在伸腿空间。

▪ The legroom is located just outside the center of the city.
伸腿空间就坐落在市中心外侧。

restroom/ˈrestruːm/C
room

公共厕所;洗手间;休息室

古英语 room 家族:room(休息/盥洗之室);< PIE *rewə-

名 公共厕所;洗手间;休息室

▪ They met near the restroom after the work was finished.
工作结束后,他们在公共厕所附近碰面。

▪ The new restroom opened to the public last month.
新的公共厕所上个月向公众开放。

▪ Many visitors gather at the restroom during the summer.
夏天有许多游客聚集在公共厕所。

▪ The restroom is located just outside the center of the city.
公共厕所就坐落在市中心外侧。

room service/ˈruːm sɜːrvɪs/C
room

客房送餐服务

古英语 room 家族:room(客房内服务);< PIE *rewə-

名 客房送餐服务

▪ The room service is widely used in this kind of work.
客房送餐服务在这类工作中被广泛使用。

▪ Please keep the room service in a safe place after use.
用后请把客房送餐服务放在安全的地方。

▪ The team moved the room service to the entrance of the building.
团队把客房送餐服务搬到了大楼入口。

▪ You can find a reliable room service at the shop near the station.
车站附近的店里能找到可靠的客房送餐服务。

rooms/ruːmz/C
room

房间(复数);寓所

古英语 room 家族:room(多个房间);< PIE *rewə-

名 房间(复数);寓所

▪ The rooms is widely used in this kind of work.
房间在这类工作中被广泛使用。

▪ Please keep the rooms in a safe place after use.
用后请把房间放在安全的地方。

▪ The team moved the rooms to the entrance of the building.
团队把房间搬到了大楼入口。

▪ You can find a reliable rooms at the shop near the station.
车站附近的店里能找到可靠的房间。

showroom/ˈʃoʊruːm/C
room

展厅;陈列室

古英语 room 家族:room(展示之室);< PIE *rewə-

名 展厅;陈列室

▪ They met near the showroom after the work was finished.
工作结束后,他们在展厅附近碰面。

▪ The new showroom opened to the public last month.
新的展厅上个月向公众开放。

▪ Many visitors gather at the showroom during the summer.
夏天有许多游客聚集在展厅。

▪ The showroom is located just outside the center of the city.
展厅就坐落在市中心外侧。

storeroom/ˈstɔːrruːm/C
room

储藏室;库房

古英语 room 家族:room(储藏之室);< PIE *rewə-

名 储藏室;库房

▪ They met near the storeroom after the work was finished.
工作结束后,他们在储藏室附近碰面。

▪ The new storeroom opened to the public last month.
新的储藏室上个月向公众开放。

▪ Many visitors gather at the storeroom during the summer.
夏天有许多游客聚集在储藏室。

▪ The storeroom is located just outside the center of the city.
储藏室就坐落在市中心外侧。

sunroom/ˈsʌnruːm/C
room

日光室;阳光房

古英语 room 家族:room(沐日光之室);< PIE *rewə-

名 日光室;阳光房

▪ They met near the sunroom after the work was finished.
工作结束后,他们在日光室附近碰面。

▪ The new sunroom opened to the public last month.
新的日光室上个月向公众开放。

▪ Many visitors gather at the sunroom during the summer.
夏天有许多游客聚集在日光室。

▪ The sunroom is located just outside the center of the city.
日光室就坐落在市中心外侧。

elbowroom/ˈelboʊruːm/C
elbow 肘
room,可伸肘

活动余地;自由空间

古英语 room 家族:elbow 肘 + room,可伸肘(活动余地;自由空间);< PIE *rewə-

副 活动余地;自由空间

▪ The team elbowroom finished the task before the deadline.
团队在截止日前活动余地完成了任务。

▪ She elbowroom checked the results and then signed the form.
她活动余地核对了结果,然后签了表。

▪ The rules were elbowroom changed at the start of the year.
这些规则在年初被活动余地修改了。

▪ He spoke elbowroom so that everyone could understand.
他活动余地发言,好让每个人都听懂。

courtroom/ˈkɔːrtruːm/C
court 法庭
room

法庭;审判室

古英语 room 家族:court 法庭 + room(法庭;审判室);< PIE *rewə-

名 法庭;审判室

▪ They met near the courtroom after the work was finished.
工作结束后,他们在法庭附近碰面。

▪ The new courtroom opened to the public last month.
新的法庭上个月向公众开放。

▪ Many visitors gather at the courtroom during the summer.
夏天有许多游客聚集在法庭。

▪ The courtroom is located just outside the center of the city.
法庭就坐落在市中心外侧。

语源存疑room 的 PIE 根 *rewə-「开阔」与拉丁 rus

room(OE rūm)本是形容词「宽敞的」,后名词化为「房间」。其 PIE 根一般拟为 *rewə-「开阔、空间」,与拉丁 rus「乡村、开阔地」(同 rural)语义遥相呼应。但日耳曼 rūm 与拉丁 rus 的语音对应不规整,是否真同源仍属推测。

同形辨析 · room vs space

room 既指具体「房间」,也指抽象「空间、余地」(make room for);space 偏抽象「空间」,较少指具体房间。现代英语中 room 的「余地」义仍活(no room to move),而「房间」义占主导。

语域观察 · -room 复合词与 roommate

room 在英语中大量作第二成分:bedroom、bathroom、classroom、playroom、washroom——都是「限定成分 + room」。roommate(室友)中的 -mate 来自古英语 ġemetta「同食者」,与 meat(食物)同源——「一起分食的人」即室友。

词源树 ETYMOLOGY TREE

PIE *rewə-(to open / space 开阔、空间)
│
├─ PGmc *rūmaz → OE rūm ── room ── bedroom · bathroom · classroom · playroom · washroom
│
├─ rūm + gemetta ── roommate(分食者→同屋者)
│
├─ -room 复合 ── boardroom · darkroom · newsroom · legroom
│
└─ 拉丁同源 ── rus → rural「乡村的」

证据与方法 EVIDENCE & METHOD

构拟 vs 文献

带星号 *rewə-、*rūmaz 是历史比较法构拟形;不带星号的 rūm、gemetta 是真实文献形式。

入英年代

本族词(5 世纪);room 指「房间」约 16 世纪定型;roommate 18 世纪。

频率与地位

room 是现代英语高频词(前 300),-room 复合能产性极强。

三重证据法:规律音变(长 u 保持、弱读 /ʊm/)→ 跨语言同源对音(古诺斯 rúm、德语 Raum、荷兰 ruim)→ 书面文献年代,三者互相印证。

外围同源 BEYOND THE FAMILY

*rewə-「开阔」在拉丁延伸,一组正是「乡村」与「开阔地」。

LATIN 拉丁

rus → rural

rus「乡野、开阔地」→ rural「乡村的」

GERMANIC 日耳曼

gemetta → -mate

roommate 的 -mate=分食者,与 meat 同源

外围日耳曼

古诺斯 rúm · 德语 Raum · 荷兰 ruim

一屏速记 · 字根词卡(本族 21 词)
room/ruːm/
n. 房间;室;空间;余地
源rūm「宽敞」
构room(空间)
链宽敞→空间→房间
例four rooms。
bedroom/ˈbedruːm/
n. 卧室;寝室
源bed+room
构bed(床)+room(室)
链放床之室→卧室
例a small bedroom。
bathroom/ˈbæθruːm/
n. 浴室;卫生间
源bath+room
构bath(浴)+room(室)
链洗浴之室→浴室
例a private bathroom。
classroom/ˈklæsruːm/
n. 教室;课堂
源class+room
构class(班)+room(室)
链班级之室→教室
例sit in the classroom。
playroom/ˈpleɪruːm/
n. 游戏室;娱乐室
源play+room
构play(玩)+room(室)
链玩耍之室→游戏室
例a bright playroom。
washroom/ˈwɑːʃruːm/
n. 洗手间;盥洗室
源wash+room
构wash(洗)+room(室)
链盥洗之室→洗手间
例the ladies washroom。
roommate/ˈruːmmeɪt/
n. 室友
源room+mate
构room(房)+mate(分食者)
链同屋分食者→室友
例share the rent with a roommate。
ballroom/ˈbɔːlruːm/
名 舞厅;大舞厅
源room
构room
链跳舞之大厅
例They met near the ballroom after the work was finished.

boardroom/ˈbɔːrdruːm/
名 董事会会议室
源room
构room
链董事议事之室
例They met near the boardroom after the work was finished.

dining room/ˈdaɪnɪŋ ruːm/
名 餐厅;饭厅
源room
构room
链进餐之室
例They met near the dining room after the work was finished.

elbow room/ˈelboʊ ruːm/
副 可伸肘空间;活动余地
源room
构room
链容肘活动之空间
例The team elbow room finished the task before the deadline.

headroom/ˈhedruːm/
名 头顶空间;净空高度
源room
构room
链头上空间
例They met near the headroom after the work was finished.

legroom/ˈleɡruːm/
名 座椅前)伸腿空间
源room
构room
链容腿空间
例They met near the legroom after the work was finished.

restroom/ˈrestruːm/
名 公共厕所;洗手间;休息室
源room
构room
链休息/盥洗之室
例They met near the restroom after the work was finished.

room service/ˈruːm sɜːrvɪs/
名 客房送餐服务
源room
构room
链客房内服务
例The room service is widely used in this kind of work.

rooms/ruːmz/
名 房间(复数);寓所
源room
构room
链多个房间
例The rooms is widely used in this kind of work.

showroom/ˈʃoʊruːm/
名 展厅;陈列室
源room
构room
链展示之室
例They met near the showroom after the work was finished.

storeroom/ˈstɔːrruːm/
名 储藏室;库房
源room
构room
链储藏之室
例They met near the storeroom after the work was finished.

sunroom/ˈsʌnruːm/
名 日光室;阳光房
源room
构room
链沐日光之室
例They met near the sunroom after the work was finished.

elbowroom/ˈelboʊruːm/
副 活动余地;自由空间
源elbow 肘 + room,可伸肘
构elbow 肘 + room,可伸肘
例The team elbowroom finished the task before the deadline.

courtroom/ˈkɔːrtruːm/
名 法庭;审判室
源court 法庭 + room
构court 法庭 + room
例They met near the courtroom after the work was finished.

跨语族同源 RELATED ROOTS · *rewə-

同一个 PIE *rewə-「开阔、空间」,可横向对照:

N · 日耳曼本页 room/rūm
L · 拉丁 rus/rural(L 篇待补)
G · 希腊(G 篇待补)