alcove
This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 13 October 2026 at 20:54. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈæl.kəʊv/ (UK); /ˈæl.koʊv/ (US)[1]
Etymology
It is borrowed from French alcôve,[2][3][4][5][6] from Spanish alcoba,[2][3][4][5] from Arabic القُبَّة (al-qubba, “the vaulted chamber, the arch”).[2][3][4][5] The al- is the Arabic definite article,[2][4] and qubba is from a Semitic root meaning “to be bent, vaulted”.[4]
Earliest recorded meaning
A recess in a room, set apart for a bed (1623 in the OED;[7] 1676 in Barnhart and Merriam-Webster).[3][5]
Semantic evolution
The first alcoves were sleeping recesses.[7][6] The word then spread to recesses in gardens or hedges (1706),[7] to any shady retreat or bower,[7][2] and to arched niches in walls (1786).[7]
Timeline
- 1623 – a recess in a room for a bed.[7]
- 1670s – date given by Etymonline and Barnhart.[4][3]
- 1706 – a recess or retreat in a garden.[7]
- 1786 – an arched niche in a wall.[7]
Modern meaning
Noun
- A small recess opening off a room; a nook.
- An arched opening in a wall; a niche.
- A sheltered structure in a garden, such as a bower.
Word family
- alcoved
Usage notes
Random House gives nook and bay as synonyms.[6]
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
- ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
- ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
- ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press