“Phrontistery” comes from the ancient Greek φροντιστής (“phrontistḗ”), meaning “a thinker,” and since the Middle Ages, the term has been used as a lofty synonym for a university, college, or other place of formal education. However, a phrontistery can be any place ideal for thinking — including public libraries and museums, as well as parks, forests, or any other place where meditation comes easily. The term has also been humorously applied to another location of frequent quiet reflection: the bathroom.