Recently I learnt that there are two different words for room in Danish: rum [ʁɔmˀ], which is a general room, and værelse [ˈʋæʁɑlsə], which is a room for spending time in, at least according to Memrise. Is this correct?
Værelse comes from være (to be) and -else (a suffix that turns verbs into nouns) [source].
Subspecies of værelse include:
- soveværelse = bedroom
- badeværelse = bathroom
- arbejdsværelse = study
- børneværelse = nursery
- hotelværelse = hotel room
- klasseværelse = classroom
- loftsværelse = loft
- gæsteværelse = guest room
[source]
A related word is tilværelse (life, existence).
Rum means room, comparment or space, and comes from the Old Norse rúmr, from the Proto-Germanic *rūmaz (roomy, spacious, open), the same root as the English word room [source].
Subspecies of rum include:
- omklædningsrum = changing room, locker room
- møderum = meeting room
- siderum = (small) chamber, side room
- tørrerum = drying room
- haverum = garden room
- gårdrum = courtyard
[source].
Other Danish words for rooms include lokale (room), stue (living room), sal (hall) and køkken (kitchen).