Kiosque

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small architectural feature typically found in parks or public squares that serves to provide goods or information to passersby
2. A tiny structure usually placed in public areas used for selling items or giving details to visitors
3. A compact pavilion commonly found in open urban spaces where products are sold or information is distributed

Etymology: The word came into English from French, but its journey began in Persia. The Middle Persian "kōšk" meant a palace or a pavilion with a portico, and it travelled through Classical Persian and Ottoman Turkish, where "köşk" referred to a kiosk-like garden pavilion. Italian turned it into "chiosco", and French took it up as "kiosque", the form this archaic spelling preserves. English then borrowed that French form before settling on the shorter "kiosk". So a term for a grand royal building became, by the time it reached Western Europe, a name for a small open structure. The word kept the idea of an open-sided shelter, which is why a street stall with a counter open to passers-by fits the same family of meanings.