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dovecote

[duhv-koht]
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noun
  1. a structure, usually at a height above the ground, for housing domestic pigeons.
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Idioms
  1. flutter the dovecotes, to cause a stir in a quiet or conservative institution or group: The flamboyant manner of the tourists fluttered the dovecotes of the sleepy New England town.
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Also dove·cot [duhv-kot] /ˈdʌv kɒt/.

Origin of dovecote

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at dove1, cote1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for dovecot

Historical Examples

  • Like frighted pigeons when the vulture darts upon the dovecot.

    Fiesco or, The Genoese Conspiracy

    Friedrich Schiller

  • She didn't know what to do with her dovecot—nobody wanted it—so she's given it to me.

    The Limit

    Ada Leverson

  • The fans were now all agitation; 'twas like a flutter in a dovecot.

    The Lady of Lynn

    Walter Besant

  • When they arrive they perch at the window of the dovecot, where their mates and young await them.

  • Even the rabbit hutches were stone, and the dovecot and the cuddy for the fowls.

British Dictionary definitions for dovecot

dovecote

dovecot (ˈdʌvˌkɒt)

noun
  1. a structure for housing pigeons, often raised on a pole or set on a wall, containing compartments for the birds to roost and lay eggs
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dovecot

dovecote

n.

early 15c., from dove (n.) + cote.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper