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cove 1 (kōv)
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n.
1. A small sheltered bay in the shoreline of a sea, river, or lake.
2.
a. A recess or small valley in the side of a mountain.
b. A cave or cavern.
3. A narrow gap or pass between hills or woods.
4. Architecture
a. A concave molding.
b. A concave surface forming a junction between a ceiling and a wall. Also called coving.
tr.v. coved, cov·ing, coves
To make in an inward curving form.

[Middle English, chamber, cave, from Old English cofa.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.