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carrel

/ˈkɛrəl/
IPA guide

Other forms: carrels

A carrel is a cozy, private work area usually found in a library. When you have a long paper to write, you might want to settle into a carrel with your books and laptop.

A carrel is a cubicle or alcove which contains a desk and chair, and sometimes a shelf and electric outlets. Carrels are perfect study spots for college students, but anyone who uses a library can sit in a carrel to read or write. The word comes from the Medieval Latin carula, "small study in a cloister," possibly from a Latin root word meaning "ring."

Definitions of carrel
  1. noun
    small individual study area in a library
    synonyms: carrell, cubicle, stall
    see moresee less
    type of:
    alcove, bay
    a small recess opening off a larger room
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