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Nov 27, 2007

This week's theme
Words with built-in definite articles

This week's words
lagniappe
alcove
El Dorado
azimuth
algorithm

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alcove

noun:
1. A recess in a wall.
2. A small, secluded space connected to a room or in a garden.

From French alcôve, from Spanish alcoba, from Arabic al-qubba (the vault).

"Fuller, Smith & Turner, one of London's last remaining brewers, said a wet summer and the introduction of a smoking ban had not dented profits, as drinkers stuck with ales and smokers huddled in outside alcoves. 'Pubs without smoking are much nicer places to be,' Chairman Michael Turner told a press conference."
Alastair Sharp; Brewer Fuller Sees Through Haze of Smoking Ban; Reuters UK; Nov 23, 2007.

See more usage examples of alcove in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

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