variants or less commonly dovecot
1
: a small compartmented raised house or box for domestic pigeons
2
: a settled or harmonious group or organization

Did you know?

When Shakespeare's Coriolanus was condemned to die by the Volscians, the doomed general proudly reminded his enemies, "Like an eagle in a dove-cote, I Flutter'd your Volscians in Corioli." (Coriolanus was referring to an earlier victory in which his army had seized the city of Corioli from the Volscians.) When he introduced that eagle into the dovecote, Shakespeare also introduced a new figure of speech, but one that wasn't truly "discovered" by most writers until the 19th century-and then from a misquote. English novelist Edward G. Lytton reminded folks about it in 1853 when he wrote about how "the great Roman general did 'flutter the dove-cots in Corioli.'" Nowadays, we sometimes ruffle dovecotes or cause a flurry in them, in addition to fluttering them or causing a flutter in them.

Examples of dovecote in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
At the very top of the house, in a former dovecote with oxeye windows, there’s now a yoga studio and a roof deck with a hair-raising view of the river valley. Jo Rodgers, Vogue, 3 May 2024 Surrounded by redwood trees, the half-timbered home has multiple rooflines and gables, three stand-alone dovecotes that look like little towers, and a fence of irregularly curving bricks. Erika Mailman, WSJ, 9 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dowecote, doffcote, from dowe, douve dove entry 1 + cote cote entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dovecote was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near dovecote

Cite this Entry

“Dovecote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dovecote. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

dovecote

noun
: a small raised house or box with compartments for domestic pigeons

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