What does kennel mean?
A kennel is a shelter where a dog is kept or an establishment that provides care, boarding, breeding, or training for dogs. The word can refer to a simple doghouse, such as a wooden shelter in a garden, or to a professional facility with several kennels and related services. In British and American English, “kennel” commonly occurs in phrases such as “boarding kennel,” while “kennel club” denotes an organization devoted to dog breeding and showing, and “kennel cough” is a contagious respiratory infection found among dogs kept in close quarters. Historically, the word also meant a pack or group of hounds, a sense that survives mainly in older literary usage. As a verb, “to kennel” means to place or keep a dog in a kennel, though this use is less frequent than the noun. The word comes through Old French from a Latin term associated with “dog,” the same broad root underlying “canine.”
A shelter or small building where a dog is kept, especially one used for boarding, breeding, training, or caring for dogs.
"The rescued dog was taken to the kennel for treatment."
The word may denote either an individual dog's shelter or a larger establishment caring for several dogs.
A pack or group of dogs, especially hounds.
"The huntsman called the hounds together as the kennel moved through the woods."
This sense is now chiefly historical or literary.
To place or keep a dog in a kennel.
"The handlers kennelled the dogs before the storm."
This use is less common than the noun and ordinarily takes a dog as its object.
The regular plural is “kennels”; the plural may refer to several individual shelters or to a business catering to several dogs.
"The kennels are located beside the kennel's exercise yard."
Before it referred to a dog's shelter, “kennel” could mean a pack of hounds — a sense now largely confined to older literature.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does kennel come from?
The word entered English through Old French chenil, meaning a dog's shelter or a place where hounds were kept. It developed from a Latin form associated with canis, “dog,” and ultimately goes back to an Indo-European root for the animal. The related English word “canine” preserves this Latin ancestry, while “canis” remains the scientific name of the dog genus.
Related word forms
How kennel is actually used
The noun is standard in both British and American English, although it may be particularly common in British usage. The older sense meaning a pack of dogs is mainly literary or historical. As a verb, “kennel” is less common and usually refers specifically to dogs.
Easily confused with kennel
A kennel shelters a dog, whereas a kernel is the seed or edible inner part of a nut or fruit.