Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A small corner, alcove, or recess, especially one in a large room.
  • noun A hidden or secluded spot.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To betake one's self to a recess or corner; ensconce one's self.
  • noun A corner.
  • noun A narrow place formed by an angle in bodies or between bodies; a recess; a secluded retreat.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A narrow place formed by an angle in bodies or between bodies; a corner; a recess; a secluded retreat.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A small corner formed by two walls; an alcove or recess or ancone.
  • noun A hidden or secluded spot.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a sheltered and secluded place
  • noun an interior angle formed by two meeting walls

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English nok, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian dialectal nōk, hook.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English noke, nok ("nook, corner, angle"), of uncertain origin. Cognate with Scots neuk, nuk ("corner, angle of a square, angular object"). Perhaps from Old English hnoc, hnocc ("hook, angle"), from Proto-Germanic *hnukkaz, *hnukkô (“a bend”), from Proto-Indo-European *kneug- (“to turn, press”), from Proto-Indo-European *ken- (“to pinch, press, bend”). If so, then also related to Scots nok ("small hook"), Norwegian dialectal nok, nokke ("hook, angle, bent object"), Danish nokke ("hook"), Swedish nocke ("hook"), Faroese nokki ("crook"), Icelandic hnokki ("hook"), Dutch nok ("ridge"), Low German Nocke ("tip"), Old Norse hnúka ("to bend, crouch"), Old English ġehnycned ("drawn, pinched, wrinkled").

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Examples

Comments

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  • Traditionally, a unit of land area in northern England. One nook originally equaled 1/2 virgate; a virgate (often called a yardland in the north) was about 30 acres in southern England but measured closer to 40 acres in the north. This meant that a nook equaled 20 acres (about 8.094 hectares).

    November 7, 2007

  • You are so wise, reesetee. Unless, of course, this is totally fabricated....

    November 24, 2007

  • Nope. I swear, it's completely true. :-)

    November 24, 2007

  • See also "cranny".

    November 24, 2007

  • "Nook" contains two antonyms.

    February 19, 2010

  • Did John Noyes have a nook in Oneida?

    February 19, 2010