niche
See also: niché
English edit
Etymology edit
Unadapted borrowing from French niche, from Middle French niche, from Old French niche, from nicher (“to make a nest”) (modern French nicher), from Vulgar Latin *nīdicāre, from Latin nīdus (“nest”). Doublet of nidus and nide via Latin and nest via Proto-Indo-European; also related to nyas.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
niche (plural niches)
- (architecture) A cavity, hollow, or recess, generally within the thickness of a wall, for a statue, bust, or other erect ornament.
- Synonym: nook
- 1641, John Evelyn, edited by William Bray, John Evelyn's Diary, volume 1, London: Henry Colburn, published 1850, page 34:
- On the margin of this long tract, are abundance of shrines and images, defended from the injuries of the weather by niches of stone wherein they are placed.
- Any similar position, literal or figurative.
- Specifically, a cremation niche; a columbarium.
- (ecology) A function within an ecological system to which an organism is especially suited.
- (by extension) Any position of opportunity for which one is well-suited, such as a particular market in business.
- Synonyms: specialty, specialization
- 2022 April 5, Elizabeth Wetmore, “How Far Will Parents Go to Protect Their Sons?”, in The New York Times[1]:
- Whitney, mother of Xavier, is a real estate titan who, along with her British husband, has found her niche selling luxurious underground bunkers to wealthy clients looking for a safe space to hunker down in the event of a climate apocalypse.
- (Islam) An arrow woven into a prayer rug pointing in the direction of qibla.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
cavity, hollow, or recess
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ecological function of an organism
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position of opportunity
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Verb edit
niche (third-person singular simple present niches, present participle niching, simple past and past participle niched)
- (transitive) To place in a niche.
- a niched vase
- (transitive, marketing) To specialize in a niche, or particular narrow section of the market.
- 2002, Frederick Betz, Executive Strategy, page 92:
- Product differentiation will be mostly limited to market niching and fashion.
Adjective edit
niche (comparative more niche or nicher, superlative most niche or nichest)
- Pertaining to or intended for a market niche; having specific appeal; obscure.
- niche products
- niche audience
- 2016, BookLover, How to Become A Massive YouTube Celebrity[2]:
- You can go even more niche if you like though and choose 'crocheting' or 'bird sewing patterns' but the 'more niche' you go, the more you narrow your audience.
Translations edit
See also edit
Anagrams edit
Dutch edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from French niche, from Middle French niche, from Old French niche.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
niche f (plural niches, diminutive nicheje n)
See also edit
French edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Inherited from Middle French niche, from Old French niche, deverbal of nichier (“make a nest”), from an unattested verb *nīdicāre, from Latin nīdus (“nest”).
Noun edit
niche f (plural niches)
Descendants edit
See also edit
Etymology 2 edit
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb edit
niche
- inflection of nicher:
Further reading edit
- “niche”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams edit
Norman edit
Etymology edit
From Old French niche, from nichier (“make a nest”), from Latin nīdus (“nest”).
Noun edit
niche f (plural niches)
Synonyms edit
Spanish edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
niche m (plural niches)
Further reading edit
- “niche”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014