dovecote

American  

[duhv-koht] / ˈdʌvˌkoʊt /

Also dovecot

noun

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

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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.

dovecote British  

/ ˈdʌvˌkɒt, ˈdʌvˌkəʊt /

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

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Etymology

Origin of dovecote

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

Example Sentences

In one farmyard, a man eagerly showed how he had repaired his smashed chicken coop and dovecote with patches of wire mesh.

From Washington Post • Mar. 3, 2023

The best-known of these, “February,” from circa 1412-1416 and usually attributed to the more rustic of the Dutch Limbourg brothers, Paul, is exquisite: the snow resting on the sheep pen, the dovecote, the beehives.

From New York Times • Jan. 19, 2021

It was eleven stories with a multitude of single rooms, very much like a dovecote, or, as everyone eventually suggested, a columbarium.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 3, 2018

But his latest, Manhunt, which premieres on Netflix on May 4th, has a moment when a careening car approaches a dovecote filled with birds ready for their big moment.

From The Verge • May 6, 2018

There was another castle half-way up the single mast, which gave it the appearance of a dovecote.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White