noun
cubbyhole
KUB-ee-hohl/ˈkʌbihəʊl/
A small, enclosed space.
A pair of shoes fits snugly in the bench's wooden cubbyhole.
Etymology
Cubby and hole name a small enclosure. Cubby may be a diminutive of dialect cub, “stall” or “pen,” or may relate to cuddy, “small room” or “cupboard”; either proposed connection points to a confined space.
More examples
- Each child keeps a lunchbox in a cubbyhole.
- Her office is a windowless cubbyhole behind the kitchen.
- The desk has little cubbyholes for letters and receipts.
Forms
cubbyhole · cubbyholes
Similar words
- nook
- Often a sheltered corner rather than a fully enclosed space.
- compartment
- Emphasizes a separate section within a larger structure or container.