VESTIBULE (from Lat. vest ib-ulum) , the architectural term given to an antechamber next to the entrance and preceding the hall; it is also applied to the anteroom of any large apartment. The word is connected, like Vesta (q.i>.), with the Sanscrit root vas-, to dwell, inhabit. In medieval Latin it was occasionally used, instead of vestiarium, for a vestry (see Du Cange, Gloss, med. lat. t s.v.), which is derived from Lat. tiestis, clothing.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)