The word for today is…

refectory (noun) – A room where meals are served, especially in a college or other institution.

Source : The Free Dictionary

Etymology : “Dining hall,” especially one in a monastery, early 15th century, from Medieval Latin refectorium, from past participle stem of reficere “to remake, restore,” from re- + combining form of facere “to make, do” (from PIE root *dhe- “to set, put”).

Peter is a fourth-generation New Zealander, with his mother's and father's folks having arrived in New Zealand in the 1870s. He lives in Lower Hutt with his wife, some cats and assorted computers. His...