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The word reredorter is Anglo-Norman French and since it was the Normans who built (and replaced earlier) monasteries in England, many of the terms associated with monastic sites are in that language.

A dorter was a communal dormitory for monks. The word reredorter literally means "behind the dorter", which is where the lavatorium or wash-house was situated.

This reredorter or lavatorium (Latin for "a place for washing") had latrines which deposited waste into a specially-routed water course below, as well as a completely clean water supply (often via taps and Plumbing) for washing hair, faces, feet and hands.

I once had to explain these Anglo-Norman French terms to a Frenchman, who could not understand any of them.

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Q: What is the reredorter in a medieval monastery?
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