Nissen hut

[ nis-uhn ]

noun

1. a prefabricated, tunnel-shaped shelter made of corrugated metal and having a concrete floor; Quonset hut: first used by the British army in World War I.

Nissen hut

/ ˈnɪsən /

noun

1. a military shelter of semicircular cross section, made of corrugated steel sheet US and Canadian equivalentQuonset hut

Word History and Origins

Origin of Nissen hut¹

1915–20; after Lieutenant Colonel Peter N. Nissen (1871–1930), Canadian military engineer who invented it

Word History and Origins

Origin of Nissen hut¹

C20: named after Lt Col. Peter Nissen (1871–1930), British mining engineer, its inventor

Example Sentences

Personally, I don't like a Nissen hut nearly as much as the ordinary straight-walled sort.

From Project Gutenberg

Page 66: "Nisson" changed to "Nissen" (the shape and size of a Nissen hut).

From Project Gutenberg

In fact, the room was very much of the shape and size of a Nissen hut.

From Project Gutenberg

Camblain l'Abb was not a large place, so we were cramped for room, and a Nissen hut had to be built for "C" mess.

From Project Gutenberg

Our first discovery was a Nissen hut in a dank field on the eastern outskirts.

From Project Gutenberg