alcove

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A small recessed area set off from a larger room.
  2. A shady retreat.
  3. The geographical and geological term for a steep-sided hollow in the side of an exposed rock face or cliff of a homogeneous rock type, that was water eroded.

Pronunciation

/ˈæl.kəʊv/ /ˈæl.koʊv/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-alcove.wav

Word forms

alcove alcoves

Etymology

From French alcôve, from Spanish alcoba or Portuguese alcova, from Arabic القُبَّة (al-qubba, “vault, chamber with vaulted roof”). Doublet of qubba.

Derived words

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.