I assume a "hall" is a large open space in indoors, while hallway is a long narrow path. It seems contradict, but are these words somewhat related?

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

They are related since they both use the word "hall," which comes from the Old-English word "heall" which means "house," "dwelling," "palace," or "temple." So, one can think of a "hallway" as the "way" which people move in the "house." "Hall" means a large room, but in the US, people also call a "hallway" a "hall." And another term for "hallway" is "corridor." Ex: The bathroom is the third door on the left in the hallway. = The bathroom is the third door on the left in the hall. Ex: The hall was so empty. No one had arrived for the party yet. Ex: I like the pictures on your corridor walls.

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12/19

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