mews
/mju:z/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A street or alley lined with buildings that were originally private stables or carriage houses, now typically converted into residential dwellings: The term "mews" refers to a specific type of urban architecture, historically used for housing horses and carriages, which has been repurposed into homes, often characterized by a quiet, cobbled street.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- The actress owns a charming house in a London mews.
- Many of the city's old mews have been transformed into expensive and desirable properties.
Advanced Usage
- "A mews house": A dwelling located within a mews.
- They renovated a traditional mews house, preserving its original facade.
Variants and Related Words
- Mew (noun, archaic): A cage for hawks, especially while molting. (Note: This is a distinct, older word that is etymologically related but not the same in modern usage as the plural noun "mews").
- Mews flat/apartment: A flat or apartment situated in a converted mews building.
Synonyms
- Mews street: A street of mews houses.
- Converted stables: Describes the origin and current state of the buildings.
Notes on Meaning
- The word is almost always used in its plural form "mews" (treating it as a singular noun) to describe the entire street or complex, not an individual building. One says "a mews" or "the mews," not "a mew."
- Its usage is strongly associated with British English, particularly describing areas in cities like London.
Noun
- street lined with buildings that were originally private stables but have been remodeled as dwellings
- she lives in a Chelsea mews