A dormitory originated from the Latin word dormitorium [1] , often abbreviated to dorm is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school , high school , college or university students. In some countries, it can also refer to a room containing several beds accommodating people. Worldwide, dormitories are often single sex, or sexes are accommodated on separate floors or in separate rooms in some cases. It is unusual for unrelated mixed sex occupancy of a bedroom except temporarily for example in a [travel] hostel or a railway sleeping car. Where this does occur, it is so remarkable as to be newsworthy for example the mixed sex sharing of bedrooms in the Norwegian Army [2]. The terms "dorm" and "residence hall" are often used interchangeably in the US.