Would it be correct to write "rest room" to mean a room for resting?

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Tan Elaine

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A restroom is toilet in American English. Would it be correct to write "rest room" to mean a room for resting?

Thanks.
 

bhaisahab

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A restroom is toilet in American English. Would it be correct to write "rest room" to mean a room for resting?

Thanks.

To me "a rest room" suggests just that, a room to rest in.
 

Barb_D

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In the US, it means the toilet, the loo, the WC, the washroom, etc.

It does NOT mean a room for resting. What is such a room anyway? A bedroom?
 

UM Chakma

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In the US, it means the toilet, the loo, the WC, the washroom, etc.

It does NOT mean a room for resting.


Barb, let me ask a question. How American would say a room for resting?
 

Barb_D

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Barb, let me ask a question. How American would say a room for resting?
What sort of room would that be? I know where I go to sleep for the night. I don't have a room in my house, nor are there public rooms when traveling, for "resting."
 

konungursvia

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Maybe a lounge?
 

Tan Elaine

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A restroom is a toilet in American English. Would it be correct to write "rest room" to mean a room for resting?

I think so far all who have replied have missed the underlined part of my question.
Could a room for resting be written as REST ROOM? Thanks.

 

UM Chakma

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Lounge is a rest room used in Uk. Is it used in US too?
 

Barb_D

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In the US, it means the toilet, the loo, the WC, the washroom, etc.

It does NOT mean a room for resting.
How could my response have been any more clear, Tan Elaine
 

5jj

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Like Barb, I have no idea what a 'room for resting' might be, and I am a speaker of BrE.
 

Tan Elaine

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Thanks, 5jj.

Where I live, bus drivers after coming back to the terminus, takes a rest in a room before they continue on another trip.

My question is can rest room (two words) be used to mean a room where people can rest as in the case of our bus drivers.
 
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Gillnetter

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Thanks, 5jj.

Where I live, bus drivers after coming back to the terminus, takes a rest in a room before they continue on another trip.

My question is can rest room (two words) be used to mean a room where people can rest as in the case of our bus drivers.
I used to be a long distance bus driver in the US. We called such rooms driver's rooms or driver's lounges. In many truck stops (places where trucker's stop for fuel, food, etc.) there are such rooms and they either called driver's rooms, driver's lounges, and sometimes, TV rooms.
 

Tan Elaine

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Thanks to all who responded to my post.
 

emsr2d2

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In my first job at a local airport, within our office space we had a room which was always referred to as the "rest room". It contained a TV, a pool table and some comfortable chairs. When we had a break (rarely), we went in there for a rest (or to watch TV or play pool). It was originally the "smokers' room" as well but after smoking inside public buildings was banned, it simply became the rest room. It made perfect sense to us.
 

MikeNewYork

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In my first job at a local airport, within our office space we had a room which was always referred to as the "rest room". It contained a TV, a pool table and some comfortable chairs. When we had a break (rarely), we went in there for a rest (or to watch TV or play pool). It was originally the "smokers' room" as well but after smoking inside public buildings was banned, it simply became the rest room. It made perfect sense to us.

In AmE, we would would call that a "break room" or an "employee lounge".
 

emsr2d2

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In AmE, we would would call that a "break room" or an "employee lounge".

That makes sense, but that is because you already had another meaning for "restroom". We don't.
 

Tan Elaine

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That makes sense, but that is because you already had another meaning for "restroom". We don't.

I am confused. Should a room for resting be called a 'rest room' (two words) or 'restroom' (one word)? Thanks.
 

probus

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In my opinion you should avoid both, considering the thread as a whole.

In Indian English they do have the word you are looking for, namely retiring room, but it is dialect unlikely to be understood outside of India. Sometimes the words we want just don't exist.
 

mayita1usa

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I am confused. Should a room for resting be called a 'rest room' (two words) or 'restroom' (one word)? Thanks.
I know what you mean, and yes, in the United States when written as one word restroom would virtually always be understood to be a room with a toilet. If you wanted to refer to a room for resting (even though we don't often use it this way), rest room would be two words just as "break room", "TV room", etc.
 
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