What does dovecot mean?
A dovecot is a purpose-built structure for keeping domesticated pigeons or doves, typically a small round or square tower with rows of internal nesting niches, though simpler versions may be little more than a sheltered loft. Common on British and European farms and manor houses from the medieval period onward, dovecots supplied households with fresh eggs, squabs, and valuable fertiliser from the birds' droppings. Because keeping pigeons was once a privilege largely reserved for landowners, a substantial dovecot was a visible sign of wealth and status, and many survive today as picturesque ruins or carefully restored garden features. The word carries a gently rustic, historical connotation, evoking countryside heritage rather than modern animal husbandry. An alternative and equally standard spelling is 'dovecote', which is especially common in American English.
nounA structure, often a raised tower or shelter, built to house domesticated pigeons or doves. In older rural estates it served both to keep the birds and to collect their eggs and droppings.
- A building or shelter for housing domesticated pigeons or doves.
"The medieval manor still had its original stone dovecot standing in the walled garden."
"A tumbledown dovecot leaned against the boundary wall of the abbey grounds."
"Swifts had taken over the disused dovecot, nesting where pigeons once roosted."
The plural simply adds -s. When using the variant spelling, the plural is 'dovecotes'.
"The valley's old farmhouses were once dotted with stone dovecots."
In medieval England, the right to build a dovecot was legally restricted to lords of the manor — your pigeon tower was literally a status symbol.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dovecot
Dovecot is a straightforward compound of two native English words: 'dove', from Old English dūfe, meaning the bird, and 'cot', from Old English cote, meaning a shelter or small dwelling. The same second element survives in 'cote' (as in sheepcote) and is distantly related to Old French cote, which gave us 'cottage'. The compound has been used since Middle English times to describe pigeon-housing structures, and the alternative form 'dovecote' arose through the same pairing with a slightly different form of the second element.
Related word forms
How dovecot is actually used
The word is somewhat literary or historical in register today, appearing most often in descriptions of old country estates, heritage architecture, and rural landscapes. The variant spelling 'dovecote' is equally acceptable.
Easily confused with dovecot
Dovecote is simply an alternative spelling of the same word; 'dovecot' is the more common British spelling, while 'dovecote' is frequent in American usage.