cottage
n. countablen. a small, cozy house, usually in the countryside or near the sea. You often see these in old villages or use them as holiday homes.
n. a small, typically old-fashioned house, especially one in a rural or semi-rural location. Often used to describe a modest dwelling or a seasonal vacation home.
We stayed in a lovely stone cottage by the lake.
The retired couple decided to sell their city apartment and move to a quiet cottage in the mountains.
While the exterior of the cottage retained its traditional thatched roof and ivy-covered walls, the interior had been completely renovated with modern amenities.
Late Middle English, from Anglo-Norman cotage and Medieval Latin cotagium, from Old Northern French cot, cote (“hut, cottage”) + -age (“surrounding property”), from Proto-Germanic kutą, kuta- (“shed”), probably of non-Indo-European origin, possibly borrowed from Uralic; compare Finnish kota (“hut, house”) and Hungarian ház (“house”), both from Proto-Finno-Ugric/Proto-Uralic *kota. However, also compare Dutch and English hut. Old Northern French cote is probably from Old Norse kot (“hut”), cognate of Old English cot of same Proto-Germanic origin. Slang sense “public toilet” from 19th century, due to resemblance.
Commonly used in the context of tourism and real estate to imply charm or historical character.