noun
hovel
HO-vuhl
noun
1
A small, poorly built and often squalid dwelling; a shack.
"The family lived in a cramped hovel on the edge of town."
2
A simple open shed for sheltering animals or storing produce.
"The cattle were kept in a hovel during the worst of the storm."
How to Use Hovel
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA rundown, cramped little house, or a basic shelter for animals.
Common mistake
Always negative or humble in tone — never used to describe a nice house, even a small one.
Word Forms
hoveled past tense, hovelled past tense, hovels plural, hovels singular
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The family lived in a cramped _____ on the edge of town.
Etymology
From Middle English hovel, a diminutive related to Old English hof ("dwelling, court"), the same root behind "hover."