temperance reading room

noun

A public or semipublic space, typically established in the 19th and 20th centuries, that provided a sober alternative to pubs and taverns by offering books, newspapers, lectures and other recreation in support of the temperance movement's goal of reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption.

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Meanings

nountemperance reading room (plural temperance reading rooms)

plural temperance reading rooms

  1. historicalA public or semipublic space, typically established in the 19th and 20th centuries, that provided a sober alternative to pubs and taverns by offering books, newspapers, lectures and other recreation in support of the temperance movement's goal of reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption.
Cite this entry
APA

temperance reading room. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/temperance%20reading%20room

MLA

“temperance reading room.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/temperance%20reading%20room. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “temperance reading room,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/temperance%20reading%20room.

Source: temperance reading room on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.