alcove English · revision 1628

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈæl.kəʊv/ ''(UK)''; /ˈæl.koʊv/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|fr|alcôve]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) [[der|es|alcoba]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) [[der|ar|القُبَّة|tr=al-qubba|t=the vaulted chamber, the arch]].^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) The ''al-'' is the Arabic definite article,^(AHD)^(Etymonline) and ''qubba'' is from a Semitic root meaning “to be bent, vaulted”.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A recess in a room, set apart for a bed (1623 in the OED;^(OED 1989) 1676 in Barnhart and Merriam-Webster).^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The first alcoves were sleeping recesses.^(OED 1989)^(RHWU) The word then spread to recesses in gardens or hedges (1706),^(OED 1989) to any shady retreat or bower,^(OED 1989)^(AHD) and to arched niches in walls (1786).^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1623 – a recess in a room for a bed.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1670s – date given by Etymonline and Barnhart.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1706 – a recess or retreat in a garden.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1786 – an arched niche in a wall.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A small recess opening off a room; a [[nook]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # An arched opening in a wall; a [[niche]].^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A sheltered structure in a garden, such as a [[bower]].^(AHD)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[alcoved]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Random House gives ''nook'' and ''bay'' as synonyms.^(RHWU)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}