cubicle

[kyoo-bi-kuhl]

noun

1. a small space or compartment partitioned off.

2. carrel.

3. a bedroom, especially one of a number of small ones in a divided dormitory, as in English public schools.

cubicle

/ ˈkjuːbɪkəl /

noun

1. a partially or totally enclosed section of a room, as in a dormitory

2. an indoor construction designed to house individual cattle while allowing them free access to silage

Word History and Origins

Origin of cubicle¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin cubiculum bedroom, equivalent to cub ( āre ) to lie down + -i- -i- + -culum -cle ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of cubicle¹

C15: from Latin cubiculum, from cubāre to lie down, lie asleep

Example Sentences

One parent told the BBC it was the "biggest issue" and noted there were only six cubicles available for girls during breaks and lunch across the entire school.

From BBC

Six hundred people were at the match on 24 August when Mrs Robinson rushed to a cubicle, felt the urge to push and saw her son's head.

From BBC

With its collection of hand-painted canvases and stuffed animals, though, the Teen Line corner is easy to pick out in the sea of staid cubicles.

From Los Angeles Times

But with the government agencies that manage shelters now a few cubicles away, things have changed.

From Los Angeles Times

Park Seung-ah has been making three calls a day from her cubicle.

From BBC

Related Words

• booth 
• cell 
• chamber 
• desk 
• nook 
• room 
• stall