kennel

¹

[ ken-l ]

noun

1. a house or shelter for a dog or a cat.
2. Often ken·nels. an establishment where dogs or cats are bred, raised, trained, or boarded.
3. the hole or lair of an animal, especially a fox.
4. a wretched abode likened to a doghouse.
5. Rare. a pack of dogs, especially hunting dogs:

   He inherited his love of quail hunting from his father who'd gifted him a kennel of pointers.

verb (used with object)

, ken·neled, ken·nel·ing or (especially British) ken·nelled, ken·nel·ling.

1. to put into or keep in a kennel:

   to kennel a dog for a week.

verb (used without object)

, ken·neled, ken·nel·ing or (especially British) ken·nelled, ken·nel·ling.

1. to take shelter or lodge in a kennel.

kennel

²

[ ken-l ]

noun

1. an open drain or sewer; gutter.

kennel

¹

/ ˈkɛnəl /

noun

1. a hutlike shelter for a dog US namedoghouse
2. usually plural an establishment where dogs are bred, trained, boarded, etc
3. the lair of a fox or other animal
4. a ramshackle house; hovel
5. a pack of hounds

verb

1. to put or go into a kennel; keep or stay in a kennel

kennel

²

/ ˈkɛnəl /

noun

1. archaic.
   an open sewer or street gutter

Word History and Origins

Origin of kennel¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English kenel, from unattested Anglo-French kenil ( French chenil) from unattested Vulgar Latin canīle ( Latin can(is) “dog” + -īle suffix of place)

Origin of kennel²

First recorded in 1575–85; variant of earlier cannel, Middle English canel channel ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of kennel¹

C14: from Old French chenil, from Vulgar Latin canīle (unattested), from Latin canis dog

Origin of kennel²

C16: variant of cannel channel ¹

Related Words

• enclosure