Coop

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /kuːp/

Definitions

1. A small enclosure or pen for confining poultry or small animals ; a cramped or confined space for people ; to confine or enclose someone or something within a limited area
2. An enclosed structure used to keep chickens or other birds ; a tight, restricted place where people may feel trapped ; to lock or confine within a small space
3. A cage or pen designed for housing birds or small livestock ; a confined area that can feel restrictive to occupants ; the act of confining animals or persons in a limited space

Etymology: The noun "coop" started out as a word for a cask or basket. Old English "cȳpe" meant a basket or cask, and it is probably related to Latin "cūpa," a word for a tub or barrel. That makes it a close cousin of "cup," "keeve," and "coupe," all of which descend from the same ancient vessel word, though the vowel changes between them are hard to explain in the Old English form. Over time the meaning narrowed from containers to enclosures. A cask-like wooden container could be turned into a pen for poultry or small animals, and "coop" eventually came to mean a cage or small pen, especially for chickens. The sense of confinement remained, which is why the word later gained a looser use for any cramped space. The verb is a later development. It means to confine someone or something in a small space, and it seems to have grown from the noun. In the phrase "cooped up," the image of an animal shut in a pen survives in everyday speech.

Synonyms: pen, chicken coop, barn