cove
n. countablen. a small, quiet area of water that is partly surrounded by land. It is like a tiny, protected bay where the water is usually calm.
n. a small, sheltered bay or coastal inlet, typically having a narrow entrance and a curved shoreline.
We anchored our small boat in a quiet cove.
The hikers discovered a hidden cove where the cliffs protected the beach from the strong ocean winds.
The rugged coastline is dotted with numerous secluded coves, many of which are accessible only by water and serve as natural sanctuaries for local marine life.
From Middle English cove, from Old English cofa (“chamber; den”), from Proto-West Germanic kobō, from Proto-Germanic kubô. Cognate with Dutch koof (“cove”), German Low German Koov (“small room”), German Koben (“nook, shed”), Icelandic kofi (“hut, shack”). This word has probably survived as long as it has due to its coincidental phonetic resemblance to the unrelated word English cave. Also unrelated to Spanish cueva, which itself is a cognate of cave.
Britain ante-1570. From Romani kodo (“this one, him”), perhaps change in consonants due to lower class th-fronting, or Romani kova (“that person”).
Borrowed from French couver, from Old French cover (“to hatch (eggs)”), from Latin cubāre (“to lie down, recline; to incubate; to be broody”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb- (“to lie down”). Cognates * Italian covare
Commonly used in nautical and geographical contexts to describe coastal features.