hovel
Other forms: hovels; hovelling
A hovel is a small shed or dwelling, often messy, cramped, and crudely built, such as a shelter in a refugee camp — or possibly your apartment if you have too much stuff and not enough time to clean.
The word hovel was used in the fifteenth century to describe a shed used for animals, and by the seventeenth century the word had taken on its current usage as a way to describe a crude human dwelling — though the connotation of a messiness associated with animals still remains. The word can be used literally to describe something that is a ramshackle shack, but you’ll also hear it used with wry humor to describe a person’s modest living quarters: “Well, I’m off to my hovel to get some sleep.”
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small crude shelter used as a dwelling
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Vocabulary lists containing hovel
Mariam and Laila belong to different generations, but they develop a deep bond as their home city of Kabul, Afghanistan becomes more dangerous.
William Goldman's beloved fairy tale features a princess, a pirate, and a villainous prince. Do you think these words from the novel will stump you? Inconceivable!