dovecote

Thân thiện

A white dovecote stands in a sunny garden with several pigeons perched on its roof.

Definition

Noun: A small structure, often a tower or a box-like building with compartments, specifically designed and built to house domesticated pigeons or doves.

Usage

• Primary Usage: Refers to the physical structure itself.
  • The old stone dovecote in the manor's garden has been standing for centuries.
  • They built a wooden dovecote to attract pigeons to their property.

Examples

• The farmer kept a near the barn to provide a home for his carrier pigeons.
• Historical estates often featured an ornamental as a symbol of status.
• We watched the birds return to the at dusk.

Advanced Usage

• Metaphorical Use: Can be used metaphorically to describe a peaceful, sheltered, or crowded place.
  • The quiet library was her dovecote, a refuge from the noisy dormitory.
  • The small apartment felt like a dovecote with all my cousins visiting.

Variants and Related Words

• Dovecot: An alternative, less common spelling of .
• Pigeon loft: A synonym, though often implying a larger or more utilitarian structure, sometimes on the roof of a building.
• Columbarium: In historical contexts, this Latin-derived term can refer to a dovecote, though its primary modern meaning is a structure with niches for urns containing ashes of the dead.

Synonyms

• Pigeon house
• Culverhouse (an archaic term, chiefly British)

Notes

• The word is a compound of "dove" and the archaic word "cote," meaning a small shelter for animals (e.g., ).
• Historically, dovecotes were important sources of meat, eggs, and fertilizer. Their design varies widely by region.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a birdhouse for pigeons

Từ đồng nghĩa

• columbarium
• columbary