hovel

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈhɒvəl/, /ˈhʌvəl/ (UK); /ˈhɑvəl/, /ˈhʌvəl/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English,^[2][3] of unknown or uncertain origin.^[4][5][6] The OED calls a derivation from Old English hof “dwelling” inadmissible.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A roofed passage or vent for smoke (1358).^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

The word then meant an open shed for animals, grain or tools (about 1425–1435),^[4][7][5] and from the 1620s a shed used as a human dwelling, a rude or miserable cabin.^[5][7] It also had technical senses, such as a canopied niche for a statue^[7][5] and the conical building around a porcelain kiln.^[7][1]

Timeline

• 1358 – a vent for smoke.^[4][5]
• 1425 – a shed for animals.^[4][5]
• 1440 – a little cottage, per Barnhart.^[4]
• 1463 – a canopied niche for an image.^[7]
• 1583 – verb, to shelter as in a hovel.^[4][7]
• before 1625 – a miserable dwelling.^[7][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A small, wretched, often dirty dwelling; a hut.
2. An open shed, as for cattle or tools.

Verb

1. To shelter or lodge as in a hovel.

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press