cove

¹

[kohv]

noun

1. a small indentation or recess in the shoreline of a sea, lake, or river.

2. a sheltered nook.

3. a hollow or recess in a mountain; cave; cavern.

4. a narrow pass between woods or hills.

5. a sheltered area between woods or hills.

6. Architecture.

   1. a concave surface or molding.

   2. a concave surface forming part of a ceiling at its edge so as to eliminate the usual interior angle between the wall and ceiling.

verb (used with or without object)

coved, coving 

1. to make or become a cove.

cove

²

[kohv]

noun

1. British Slang.,  a person; fellow.

2. Australian Slang.,  a manager, especially of a sheep station.

cove

¹

/ kəʊv /

noun

1. a small bay or inlet, usually between rocky headlands

2. a narrow cavern formed in the sides of cliffs, mountains, etc, usually by erosion

3. a sheltered place

4. Also called: coving. architect a concave curved surface between the wall and ceiling of a room

verb

1. (tr) to form an architectural cove in

cove

²

/ kəʊv /

noun

1. old-fashioned,  a fellow; chap

2. history an overseer of convict labourers

Word History and Origins

Origin of cove¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English cofa “cave, den, closet”; cognate with Old Norse kofi “hut,” Greek gýpē “cave”

Origin of cove²

First recorded in 1560–70; of uncertain origin; perhaps from Romani kova “creature, thing, person”

Word History and Origins

Origin of cove¹

Old English cofa; related to Old Norse kofi, Old High German kubisi tent

Origin of cove²

C16: probably from Romany kova thing, person

Example Sentences

Despite the storm and the treacherous waters, Kontos, a skilled mariner, managed to guide his two boats to shelter in Antikythera’s only harbor, a small cove on its northern coast called Potamos.

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The hills on either side of a cove would direct the water right down the middle, funneling it toward the village.

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That first summer, BK could still live outdoors in a wire enclosure, swimming for exercise, with supervision, in a small stream cove.

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They arced up from the shallows, over a rocky cove, and landed on the shore.

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The goose directed the whale to a quiet, empty cove and soon the robot was standing on dry land again.

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