lobby

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A large entrance area or waiting room inside a building.

   I waited in the hotel lobby until my friend arrived.

2. 2
   noun

   A group of people who try to influence politicians on a particular issue.

   The gun lobby strongly opposed the new law.

3. 3
   verb

   To try to persuade a government or official to support a cause.

   For years, these groups have lobbied hard for stricter pollution laws.

From Medieval Latin lobia, lobium, laubia (“a portico, covered way, gallery”), borrowed from Frankish *laubijā (“arbour, shelter”), related to Old English lēaf (“foliage”). More at leaf. Doublet of leaf, lodge, and loggia. Political sense derives from the entrance hall of legislatures, where people traditionally tried to influence legislators because it was the most convenient place to meet them.

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