Kennels

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A series of enclosures or structures designed for housing dogs or other animals
2. Places specifically constructed for the care, training, or upkeep of pets
3. Facilities that offer boarding, grooming, or related services for canine or feline inhabitants

Etymology: The noun "kennels" is simply the plural of "kennel," which in its oldest sense was a dog's shelter, and the word's line runs straight back to the Latin for "dog." Middle English "kenel" was borrowed from the Anglo-Norman "kenil," a northern variant of Old French "chenil," which came from Vulgar Latin "canīle," itself built on Latin "canis," meaning dog. So a place built for dogs got its name from the animal's own word. The surprise is that the same English word once also meant a gutter. Middle English "canel" came from Old French "canel," from Latin "canālis," meaning channel or canal, and that Latin word traces back through "canna," reed or cane, to an Akkadian word for reed. The two separate meanings eventually merged into one English form, so "kennel" as a drain and "kennel" as a dog house are etymologically unrelated, though they look identical.

Synonyms: doghouses, shelters