motel
/moʊˈtɛl/ noun, verb
Forms motels motelling motelled
- noun (also attributive) A type of hotel or lodging establishment, often located near a major highway, which typically features a series of rooms whose entrances are immediately adjacent to a parking lot to facilitate convenient access to parked automobiles.
- noun A low-cost short-stay hotel, often with hourly rates rather than daily rates, and notorious for permitting illicit sexual activities; a love hotel.
- verb (informal, intransitive) To stay in a motel or motels.
Synonyms
Etymology
Blend of motor + hotel, from the original Motel Inn of San Luis Obispo in California, United States, established in 1925 by Arthur Heineman (1878–1974).
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “motel”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details