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  1. niche love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A recess in a wall, as for holding a statue or urn.
  2. n. A cranny, hollow, or crevice, as in rock.
  3. n. A situation or activity specially suited to a person's interests, abilities, or nature: found her niche in life.
  4. n. A special area of demand for a product or service: "One niche that is approaching mass-market proportions is held by regional magazines” ( Brad Edmondson).
  5. n. Ecology The function or position of an organism or population within an ecological community.
  6. n. Ecology The particular area within a habitat occupied by an organism.
  7. v. To place in a niche.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. A nook or recess; specifically, a recess in a wall for the reception of a statue, a vase, or other ornament. In ancient Roman architecture niches were generally semicircular in plan, and terminated in a semi-dome at the top. They were sometimes, however, square-headed, and in classical architecture sometimes also square in plan. They were ornamented with pillars, architraves, and consoles, and in other ways. In the architecture of the middle ages niches were extensively used in decoration and for the reception of statues. In the Romanesque style they were so shallow as to be little more than panels, and the figures were frequently carved on the back in high relief. In the Pointed style they became more deeply recessed, and were highly enriched with elaborate canopies, and often much accessory ornament. In plan they are most frequently a semi-octagon or a semi-hexagon, and their heads are formed of groined vanlting, with bosses and pendants according to the prevalent architecture of the time. They are often projected on corbels, and adorned with pillars, but-tresses, and various moldings. Compare cut under gallery.
  2. n. Hence Figuratively, a position or condition in which a person or thing is placed; one's assigned or appropriate place.
  3. To furnish with a niche or with niches.
  4. To place in a niche, literally or figuratively.

Wiktionary

  1. n. architecture A cavity, hollow, or recess, generally within the thickness of a wall, for a statue, bust, or other erect ornament. Hence, any similar position, literal or figurative.
  2. n. biology A function within an ecological system to which an organism is especially suited.
  3. n. by extension Any position of opportunity for which one is well-suited, such as a particular market in business.
  4. n. An arrow woven into a Muslim prayer rug pointing in the direction of Mecca.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. A cavity, hollow, or recess, generally within the thickness of a wall, for a statue, bust, or other erect ornament. Hence, any similar position, literal or figurative.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. (ecology) the status of an organism within its environment and community (affecting its survival as a species)
  2. n. a position particularly well suited to the person who occupies it
  3. n. a small concavity
  4. n. an enclosure that is set back or indented

Etymologies

  1. From Old French niche, from nichier ("make a nest") (modern French nicher), from Latin nīdus ("nest"). (Wiktionary)
  2. French, from Old French, from nichier, to nest (from Vulgar Latin *nīdicāre, from Latin nīdus, nest) or from Old Italian nicchio, seashell (perhaps from Latin mītulus, mussel). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “The word niche is useful in a marketing context, but not so much in the context of a blog.”

    Shattering the Myth of Blog Niches: How to Grow a Huge Readership | Write to Done

  • “I'm going to sit down and talk with the offense, defense, special teams, and let them know what I think my niche is and where I should be spending my time," Haywood said.”

    Miami (Ohio) - Team Notes

  • “This is what we call niche brand building," said the handsome Mr. Lannung, who was dressed in a suit by Buckler, a company that sponsored his evening out.”

    The Wall Street Journal: Social Networks for Models

  • “Your niche is the oldest, grumpiest, grognardiest part of the gamer community!”

    Pyramid Goes Monthly « Geek Related

  • “Across from this niche is a wall which hold a little spice rack, and that is the sum total of my kitchen (fridge, toaster oven and microwave are scattered in the living room).”

    Archive 2006-07-01

  • “The concept of a niche is a way to make sense of these changes.”

    A New Way to Be Mad

  • “He said the SCORE facility and other jails are marketing space designed for misdemeanor offenders, opening up what he called a niche market for higher-level offenders.”

    The Seattle Times

  • “While Pontiac was going to be a reduced division, down to what they call a niche brand, it obviously will no longer be after 2010," Bentley said.”

    Sand Mountain Reporter: News

  • “Set in Northern Ontario along the Valley East Basin Area where lakes dot the landscape i would want to see how these units fare in minus 40 weather, I would also like to see how far the extras do go for i would seriously consider this prefab elite based upon affordability quality and common sense and i wonder when the common sense of this prefab dream catches on to the overinflated geared to the very small minority of wealthy clientele who cannot make up their minds with the immense selectivity when there are these units where the niche is the largerst and choices are small?”

    Rocio Romero Prefab Home Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow in NY! | Inhabitat

  • “I know some manga-ka (like Natsume Ono) started out publishing their comics on the web, but I have no idea how big the webcomic niche is in Japan.”

    Role-playing exercise

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Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘niche’.

Comments

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  • qroqqa 'Niche market', however, doesn't show what part of speech it is. It is natural to suppose 'niche' is a noun in that phrase (as in 'stock market', 'bear market'). It is the ability to be modified by adverbs that shows it has (for some people) become a noun. Nov 14, 2011

  • GHibbs As an adjective, they talk of a 'niche market for ...' Nov 13, 2011

  • qroqqa Not literally "build a nest", which it's never meant in English, but that seems to be the origin in French: a verb "nest", from an unattested Latin *nid-ic-. The earliest meaning of the noun in both French and English was its current one, "recess (for a statue)", derived in French from the verb. (The noun is from the verb because the -ch- reflects the verbalizing suffix -ic-.)

    Both modern pronunciations of the vowel seem to have been present in the earliest use in English: 1600s spellings include neece, niece, niech, neech, nice as well as nitch, nich. By the 1800s only the [nɪtʃ] nitch one seems to have survived, with French-like [niːʃ] rearising in the 20th century, and now predominating in BrE.

    This word is an example of a noun that has converted to an adjective (they're surprisingly rare), at least for many speakers: you can hear and see 'It's very niche' or 'rather niche', referring to something in a niche market. The ability to be modified by degree adverbials is a clear sign of adjective status. Feb 26, 2009

  • fbharjo literally to build a nest? Jan 31, 2007

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‘niche’ has been looked up 5557 times, loved by 4 people, added to 66 lists, commented on 4 times, and has a Scrabble score of 10.