Hypertext Webster Gateway: "niche"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Niche \Niche\, n. [F., fr. It. nicchia, prop., a shell-like
recess in a wall, fr. nicchio a shellfish, mussel, fr. L.
mytilus.]
A cavity, hollow, or recess, generally within the thickness
of a wall, for a statue, bust, or other erect ornament.
hence, any similar position, literal or figurative.
Images defended from the injuries of the weather by
niches of stone wherein they are placed. --Evelun.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
niche
n 1: a position particularly well suited to the person who
occupies it; "he found his niche in the academic world"
2: a small concavity [syn: {recess}, {recession}, {corner}]
3: an enclosure that is set back or indented [syn: {recess}]
4: (ecology) the status of an organism within its environment
and community (affecting its survival as a species) [syn:
{ecological niche}]
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