🇺🇸
/ˈæl.koʊv/
🇺🇸
/ˈæl.koʊv/
🇬🇧
/ˈæl.koʊv/
🇬🇧
/ˈæl.koʊv/
Plural
alcoves
An alcove is a small, recessed section of a room—like a cozy nook carved into a wall—often used for seating, storage, or displaying objects; think of a quiet corner with a window seat or a shelf-lined hollow beside a fireplace.
She installed bookshelves in the bedroom's deep alcove to create a personal reading nook.
The café had several intimate alcoves separated by wooden screens, perfect for private conversations.
Architects often use alcoves to add visual interest and functional space without expanding the room's footprint.
A stained-glass window glowed softly in the church's eastern alcove.
They converted the narrow hallway alcove into a compact home office with a fold-down desk.
al-
Comes from Arabic 'al-' (الـ), the definite article meaning 'the', used in many loanwords entering English via Spanish or medieval Latin. In 'alcove', it appears as the initial element due to Arabic influence on Iberian architecture and language. Examples include algebra, alchemy, alcohol, almanac, and alkali.
qubbah
Comes from Arabic 'qubbah' (قُبَّة), meaning 'dome' or 'vaulted recess'. This is the core semantic root of 'alcove', referring originally to a domed architectural niche. The word entered Spanish as 'alcoba' (bedroom, vaulted chamber), then French as 'alcove', before entering English in the 17th century. Examples include alcoba (Spanish), alcove (English), and related terms like 'cupola' (via Latin 'cupula', also meaning 'small dome').