niche
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niche
(nĭch, nēsh)n.
1. A recess in a wall, as for holding a statue or urn.
2. A cranny, hollow, or crevice, as in rock.
3.
a. A situation or activity specially suited to a person's interests, abilities, or nature: found her niche in life.
b. 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).
4. Ecology
a. The function or position of an organism or population within an ecological community.
b. The range of environmental conditions within which the members of a given species can survive and reproduce.
tr.v. niched, nich·ing, nich·es
To place in a niche.
[French, from Old French, from nichier, to nest (from Vulgar Latin *nīdicāre, from Latin nīdus, nest; see sed- in Indo-European roots) or from Old Italian nicchio, seashell (perhaps from Latin mītulus, mussel).]
Usage Note: Niche was borrowed from French in the 1600s and Anglicized shortly thereafter. Many French borrowings have troublesome pronunciations, because most English speakers can't speak French very well, if at all. Niche presents an interesting variation of this pattern. It was quickly converted into a comfortable English-sounding word, pronounced (nĭch) and rhyming with itch. But in the 1900s, people familiar with French thought that a word that looked French should sound French, and so the Francophone pronunciation (nēsh), rhyming with quiche, was revived. Some Americans consider this pronunciation to be an affectation; however, it is standard in Britain and is included in most American dictionaries. The hybrid pronunciation (nēch), which takes something from each version to rhyme with leech, is less favored, perhaps because it makes one look as though one doesn't know what language one is speaking. In our 2005 survey, 69 percent of the Usage Panel found it unacceptable.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
niche
(nɪtʃ; niːʃ)n
1. (Architecture) a recess in a wall, esp one that contains a statue
2. (Mountaineering) any similar recess, such as one in a rock face
3. a position particularly suitable for the person occupying it: he found his niche in politics.
4. (Commerce) (modifier) relating to or aimed at a small specialized group or market
5. (Biology) ecology the role of a plant or animal within its community and habitat, which determines its activities, relationships with other organisms, etc
vb
(tr) to place (a statue) in a niche; ensconce (oneself)
[C17: from French, from Old French nichier to nest, from Vulgar Latin nīdicāre (unattested) to build a nest, from Latin nīdus nest]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
niche
(nɪtʃ)n., v. niched, nich•ing. n.
1. a recess in a wall or the like, usu. semicircular in plan and arched, as for a statue.
2. a suitable place or position: to find one's niche in the world.
3. the position and function of a particular species or population in an ecological community.
4. a distinct segment of a market.
adj. 5. of or pertaining to a market niche: niche advertising.
v.t. 6. to place in a niche.
[1605–15; < French, Middle French, n. derivative of nicher to make a nest < Vulgar Latin *nīdiculāre, v. derivative of Latin nīdus nest]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
niche
(nĭch, nēsh) The function or position of a species within an ecological community. A species's niche includes the physical environment to which it has become adapted as well as its role as producer and consumer of food resources.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
niche
Past participle: niched
Gerund: niching
| Imperative |
|---|
| niche |
| niche |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. | niche - a position particularly well suited to the person who occupies it; "he found his niche in the academic world" |
| 2. | niche - a small concavity pharyngeal recess - a small recess in the wall of the pharynx | |
| 3. | niche - an enclosure that is set back or indented apse, apsis - a domed or vaulted recess or projection on a building especially the east end of a church; usually contains the altar cinerarium, columbarium - a niche for a funeral urn containing the ashes of the cremated dead enclosure - a structure consisting of an area that has been enclosed for some purpose fireplace, hearth, open fireplace - an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built; "the fireplace was so large you could walk inside it"; "he laid a fire in the hearth and lit it"; "the hearth was black with the charcoal of many fires" mihrab - (Islam) a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca | |
| 4. | niche - (ecology) the status of an organism within its environment and community (affecting its survival as a species) bionomics, environmental science, ecology - the branch of biology concerned with the relations between organisms and their environment |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
niche
noun
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
niche
nounThe proper or designated location:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
مِشْكاه، فَجْوَة في جِدارمَكان مُلائِم
místečkonikapevné místo
niche
sess, rétt hillaveggskot
tinkama vieta
īsta/piemērota vietaniša
nikavhodné miesto
duvar girintisinişuygun yer
niche
[niːʃ] N (Archit) → nicho m, hornacina f (fig) → hueco mto find a niche for o.s → hacerse con una buena posición or un huequito
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
niche
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
niche
[niːʃ] n (Archit) → nicchia (Ecology) → nicchia ecologica (fig) to find a niche for o.s. → trovare una propria collocazioneCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
niche
(nitʃ) , (niːʃ) noun1. a hollow in a wall for a statue, ornament etc.
2. a suitable place in life. He found his niche in engineering.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
niche
n. nicho, depresión o defecto pequeño esp. en la pared de un órgano hueco.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012