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In French, the word niche literally referred to what?

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niche

American  

[nich, neesh] / nɪtʃ, niʃ /

noun

• niches
  plural

1. an ornamental recess in a wall or the like, usually semicircular in plan and arched, as for a statue or other decorative object.

2. a place or position suitable or appropriate for a person or thing.

   to find one's niche in the business world.

   Synonyms:

   berth, slot, vocation, calling

3. a distinct segment of a market.

4. Ecology. ecological niche.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or intended for a market niche; having specific appeal.

   niche advertising.

verb (used with object)

• niches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• niched,
  past participle,  past
• niching
  present participle

1. to place (something) in a niche.

niche British  

/ niːʃ, nɪtʃ /

noun

1. a recess in a wall, esp one that contains a statue

2. any similar recess, such as one in a rock face

3. a position particularly suitable for the person occupying it

   he found his niche in politics

4. (modifier) relating to or aimed at a small specialized group or market

5. ecology the role of a plant or animal within its community and habitat, which determines its activities, relationships with other organisms, etc

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verb

1. (tr) to place (a statue) in a niche; ensconce (oneself)

niche Scientific  

/ nĭch,nēsh /

1. The function or position of a species within an ecological community. A species's niche includes the physical environment to which it has become adapted as well as its role as producer and consumer of food resources.

2. See also competitive exclusion principle

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Usage

What does niche mean? A niche is a place or position that’s particularly appropriate for someone or something, especially due to being very specific and different from others. Niche often refers to a position or interest that allows someone or something to thrive in a particular environment. It’s especially used in the context of people’s careers to refer to the specific position, occupation, or business that will set them apart from others and allow them to be successful. When someone tells you to “find your niche,” they mean you should find the very specific activity or position that sets you apart and in which you can find success or fulfillment. Niche can also refer to a very specific part of the consumer market, as in My startup occupies a niche in the dry cleaning chemicals industry. In ecology, niche refers to the position or function that an organism occupies within its environment among other species of plants and animals. The original, literal sense of niche refers to recess in a wall, especially one for the display of decorative objects, such as statues. Much less commonly, niche can be used as a verb meaning to place something in this kind of niche. Niche is commonly used as an adjective to describe something that has very specific appeal, as inniche market or niche interests. The correct pronunciation of niche can be either nich or neesh. Example: I started my bakery by selling all kinds of baked goods, but then I found my niche—making superhero-themed cupcakes.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unniched
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• niches
  plural

Participles

• niching
  present
• niched
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• niche
  simple
• niches
  simple
• have niched
  perfect
• has niched
  perfect
• am niching
  progressive
• are niching
  progressive
• is niching
  progressive
• have been niching
  perfect progressive
• has been niching
  perfect progressive

Past

• niched
  simple
• had niched
  perfect
• was niching
  progressive
• were niching
  progressive
• had been niching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will niche
  simple
• will have niched
  perfect
• will be niching
  progressive
• will have been niching
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of niche

First recorded in 1605–15; from French, Middle French, back formation from nicher “to make a nest,” from Vulgar Latin nīdiculāre (unrecorded), derivative of Latin nīdus nest

Explanation

A niche is a space that's all your own, from a literal corner or enclosure to some kind of professional specialty. Like finding a niche in the scented soaps market with peanut butter body wash and winning over a loyal, if not nutty, following. In the 1600s, niche was first recorded as meaning a “shallow recess in a wall." The figurative sense of the word didn’t come about for another century. So today, you can use niche literally to refer to a cranny or crevice, or figuratively to talk about an activity or role in life that is particularly suited a person’s interests or talents. Synonyms range from alcove and compartment to nook and opening.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

niche niches niched niching

They contend that the higher costs will be passed along to consumers, and they also take issue with funneling a new funding source to a niche industry without going through the budget process.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

The researchers examined how human activity affected both the physical area used by each animal and its environmental niche, which describes how an animal uses habitats and resources.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

The treks flourished throughout the Middle Ages, faded, then rebounded from a niche spiritual journey to a global escape hatch; in 2025, the pilgrim office handed out 530,000 certificates of completion, or compostelas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

And the next leg of growth will be driven by niche brands innovating with specific ingredients, dermatologist-backed products and a focus on skin nutrition, say experts.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

The shield made a mild clanking sound as it was laid to rest in its niche.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

"Once birds entered those new ecological niches, they were free to evolve body sizes that had simply not been possible for other dinosaurs."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

As demand for apartment scouts grows, Scanlon says she hopes others get involved, tackling different niches and neighborhoods.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

There should be enough room for other companies to carve out and maintain profitable niches.

From Barron's ● May 12, 2026

Though hardly invincible, vertical software companies carry some inherent advantages, having carved out niches in narrow slices of the economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026

Tucked beneath the ten screens in arched niches were incredible 3-D statues glowing a ghostly green.

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein

Other creatives even blend the niched looks with well-known fairy tales or Disney characters.

From Fox News ● Jan. 26, 2021

“I don’t like being niched as a South Asian comic, man,” he says.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 8, 2016

United Passions has a small, niched Eastern European showing well away from the action.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2014

That may still be true…although we’ve seen everything else in society fragmented, niched and marketized.

From Time ● Oct. 22, 2013

Few people, Romans or strangers, ever find their way to that lonely and beautiful spot beyond the Tiber, niched in a hollow of the Janiculum below San Pietro in Montorio, where Beatrice Cenci sleeps.

From Cecilia A Story of Modern Rome by F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford

But I think it was also resistance to the niching and atomizing of life and time itself by social media, tabloid scandal, and other forms of goldfish-like attention.

From Slate ● Dec. 23, 2015

Call it niching down to reach a billion.

From Forbes ● Oct. 28, 2014

Still, I had come to Cairo hoping for a step forward in a strategy that had been niching ahead for four years.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• alcove
• slot