dovecote

[ duhv-koht ]

noun

1. a structure, usually at a height above the ground, for housing domestic pigeons.

dovecote

/ ˈdʌvˌkəʊt; 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dovecote¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; dove ¹, cote ¹

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

To eastward and to westward have spread the Tuscan bands; Nor house, nor fence, nor dovecote in Crustumerium stands.

From Project Gutenberg

We jostled the loungers in a low-caste drinking shop and pushed on to a dark stair that rose like the ladder of a dovecote.

From Project Gutenberg

The dovecote is in the background, in the foreground the pretty French maid feeding the pretty pigeons.

From Project Gutenberg

They went into a deserted dovecote, where they found nothing but a basin full of water and a basket full of vetch.

From Project Gutenberg

Not ever the butcher or the baker or the candlestick-maker forced an entrance to that innocent dovecote.

From Project Gutenberg