The Rice University Neologisms Database

A term used to describe a room that was originally slotted to be a double in a college dormitory but one of the roommates dropped out or moved off campus. The dormitory does not have time to find a replacement and thus the deserted individual has a single until a new roommate is found. Originally began usage at Rice University, where at most college dormitories, freshman are paired off based on personality forms and are then placed in doubles. Because of this process, it is often difficult to find replacement roommates until the end of the semester or year.