warm house—a glass-house maintained at a high enough temperature for the culture of tender or tropical plants:
- In a warm house or greenhouse plants can reproduce all year round.
warming house—
1. a structure at a skating rink where the skaters can go to warm themselves:
- Lakefront Park remains the premier location for winter activity with a beautiful warming house … a skating rink and a sliding hill.
2. (hist.) a room within a monastery in which the monks were allowed to warm themselves (often the only place where a fire was allowed):
- The room was located above the warming house to keep vital abbey documents dry and safe.
Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase house warming—a party held when a person moves into a new house:
- This day James has come to see us and we give a “chez-vous” on the occasion, it may be called our house warming.