cottage

American  

[kot-ij] / ˈkɒt ɪdʒ /

noun

1. a small house, usually of only one story.

2. a small, modest house at a lake, mountain resort, etc., owned or rented as a vacation home.

3. one of a group of small, separate houses, as for patients at a hospital, guests at a hotel, or students at a boarding school.

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cottage British  

/ ˈkɒtɪdʒ /

noun

1. a small simple house, esp in a rural area

2. a small house in the country or at a resort, used for holiday purposes

3. one of several housing units, as at a hospital, for accommodating people in groups

4. slang a public lavatory

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Other Word Forms

• cottaged adjective

Etymology

Origin of cottage

1350–1400; Middle English cotage. See cot ², -age; compare Medieval Latin cotagium, apparently < Anglo-French

Example Sentences

Believe me, it was hard to imagine anything fancy in their shabby cottage.

From Literature

That departure wasn’t expected for several months as works were under way to renovate a suitable cottage on the estate.

From The Wall Street Journal

He’d eaten extra helpings of cantaloupe and cottage cheese, so it was a colorful and fragrant display.

From Literature

The show also contains numerous Canadian references — cottage country, loons, McGill University — which would have not made sense outside of the Great White North.

From Los Angeles Times

The smaller of the two properties, a cottage that sits adjacent to Hogan’s primary residence, is not part of the listing, which includes only the larger abode.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• bungalow
• cabin
• chalet
• home
• hut
• lean-to
• lodge
• ranch
• shack
• shanty