Aedicula

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small structure that resembles a shrine or niche often utilized in architecture to display a statue or decorative item as an ornamental feature
2. A diminutive architectural element that serves as a niche or shrine, commonly found in gardens or on walls to showcase art or relics
3. A minor architectural construction designed to hold statues or ornamental objects as a decorative element

Etymology: Latin "aedicula" means "little house" or "small shrine," a diminutive of "aedes," the word for a temple or house. In Roman architecture the term described a small shrine or niche, often framed by columns and a pediment, built to house a god's image. Its meaning was already tied to a miniature building that displayed a sacred figure. English borrowed the word directly from Latin for this same idea, and it now names a small framed structure that holds statues or ornaments, whether a niche in a church or a freestanding canopy over a sculpture. The word keeps the Roman notion of a tiny house built to shelter a figure, so the diminutive ending still signals "little building."