[Vocabulary] Formal House

Good time of the day, gentlemen.

I'd like to ask you about the meaning of "Formal house" term. What does "formal" mean here?

Examples would be appreciated.

Thank you.

LordOfTheRings said:

Good [STRIKE]time of the day[/STRIKE] morning/afternoon/evening (as appropriate), [STRIKE]gentlemen[/STRIKE] I can assure you we are not all men

I'd like to ask you about the meaning of the term "Formal house". [STRIKE]term.[/STRIKE] What does "formal" mean here?

Examples would be appreciated.

Thank you.

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You said it yourself - examples would be appreciated. In order for us to comment on the meaning of a word or a phrase, we need you to post the sentence where you saw this and give us some context. It is almost impossible for us to comment when two words appear to have been plucked from thin air!

I assume there is some reason why you think that "formal" means something other than its usual dictionary definition here, but I can assure you we will need more than those two words to help you.

Hi
Please provide the context which you found it in.

Thank you for corrections.

Here is the context:

"Most temples and large, formal houses in Japan included gardens as a place for rest and reflection."

LordOfTheRings said:

Thank you for corrections.

Here is the context:

"Most temples and large, formal houses in Japan included gardens as a place for rest and reflection."

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Where did you find it?

I think it means official buildings like some departments or some government buildings.

I would say that "a formal house" in this context is a traditional home that has a garden in front and an entryway that also serves as a place for removing shoes.

So, is the word "formal" here probably equal to the word "traditional"?
Or does it mean "having some kind of established architectural form"?

That really depends on what a traditional house looks like. If a traditional house were small and uneven and higgledy-piggledy with no garden, then the house described would not be traditional.

In the UK, although we don't generally use the term "formal house", this would be my idea of one: Redirect Notice

We use the term "formal gardens" quite regularly, to describe such gardens as those at the Palace of Versailles - gardens laid out in a very orderly, organised way.

LordOfTheRings said:

So, is the word "formal" here probably equal to the word "traditional"?
Or does it mean "having some kind of established architectural form"?

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I'd say so- I would take it to mean houses built in a traditional Japanese style.