carrel

¹ American  

[kar-uhl] / ˈkær əl /

Or carrell

noun

1. Also called cubicle, stall.  a small recess or enclosed area in a library stack, designed for individual study or reading.

2. a table or desk with three sides extending above the writing surface to serve as partitions, designed for individual study, as in a library.

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Carrel ² American  

[kuh-rel, kar-uhl, ka-rel] / kəˈrɛl, ˈkær əl, kaˈrɛl /

noun

1. Alexis 1873–1944, French surgeon and biologist, in U.S. 1905–39: Nobel Prize 1912.

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Carrel ¹ British  

/ ˈkærəl, kəˈrɛl, karɛl /

noun

1. Alexis (əˈlɛksɪs; French alɛksi). 1873–1944, French surgeon and biologist, active in the US (1905–39): developed a method of suturing blood vessels, making the transplantation of arteries and organs possible: Nobel prize for physiology or medicine 1912

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carrel ² British  

/ ˈkærəl /

noun

1. a small individual study room or private desk, often in a library, where a student or researcher can work undisturbed

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Etymology

Origin of carrel

1585–95; variant spelling of carol enclosure

Explanation

A carrel is a cozy, private work area usually found in a library. When you have a long paper to write, you might want to settle into a carrel with your books and laptop. A carrel is a cubicle or alcove which contains a desk and chair, and sometimes a shelf and electric outlets. Carrels are perfect study spots for college students, but anyone who uses a library can sit in a carrel to read or write. The word comes from the Medieval Latin carula, "small study in a cloister," possibly from a Latin root word meaning "ring."

Example Sentences

He shares his remote refuge, a forgotten carrel on the 9th floor, with a woman with a distinct resemblance to Ozeki herself.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 23, 2021

Dr. Fenno officially retired in 2003 but maintained a campus office — and a study carrel in the library — until his late 80s.

From Washington Post • Apr. 30, 2020

I looked at the hillside, at the woman in the next carrel sneak-eating Starburst.

From New York Times • Oct. 15, 2018

The manuscript did indeed survive, complete and unpublished, and I spent hours turning over its pages at a carrel there.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 9, 2015

She finishes Scott-Moncrieff’s English translation within days, reading it at her desk in the department, and in her carrel in the library.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Related Words

• box
• corner
• counter
• cubicle
• hut
• pew
• stall