1. 1. A cottage or cabin, often rustic, used as a temporary abode or shelter: a ski lodge.
   2. A small house on the grounds of an estate or a park, used by a caretaker or gatekeeper.
   3. An inn.
2. 1. Any of various Native American dwellings, such as a hogan, wigwam, or longhouse.
   2. The group living in such a dwelling.
3. 1. A local chapter of certain fraternal organizations.
   2. The meeting hall of such a chapter.
   3. The members of such a chapter.
4. The den of certain animals, such as the dome-shaped structure built by beavers.

1. 1. To provide with temporary quarters, especially for sleeping: lodges travelers in the shed.
   2. To rent a room to.
   3. To place or establish in quarters: lodged the children with relatives after the fire.
2. To serve as a depository for; contain: This cellar lodges our oldest wines.
3. To place, leave, or deposit, as for safety: documents lodged with a trusted associate.
4. To fix, force, or implant: lodge a bullet in a wall.
5. To register (a charge or complaint, for example) before an authority, such as a court; file.
6. To vest (authority, for example).
7. To beat (crops) down flat: rye lodged by the cyclone.

1. 1. To live in a place temporarily.
   2. To rent accommodations, especially for sleeping.
2. To be or become embedded: The ball lodged in the fence.

[Middle English, from Old French loge, of Germanic origin.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.