den

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a wild animal’s sheltered resting or breeding place

   The fox carried food back to its den.

2. 2
   noun

   a small, comfortable, and private room in a home

   He reads beside the fireplace in his den.

3. 3
   noun

   a place associated with secret, criminal, or disreputable activity

   Police discovered a gambling den behind the shop.

4. 4
   verb

   to shelter or make a home in a den

   The bears den in caves during the coldest months.

From Middle English den, from Old English denn ("animal lair, cave; woodland pasture"), probably related to a West Germanic word for a floor or level place. The domestic-room sense developed from the idea of a secluded retreat.

Topics