Etymograph

English

niche

Niche comes from Old French niche, from Latin nīdus ‘nest’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sed- ‘sit’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sed-1‘sit’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nisdós2‘nest’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*nizdos2‘nest’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnīdus3‘nest’
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*nīdicāre3reconstructed
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400niche3
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600niche3
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentniche3
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1641niche3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *nisdós
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin nidus
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English niche
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1641, John Evelyn, John Evelyn's Diary: “On the margin of this long tract, are abundance…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sed-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *nisdós‘sit’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nisdósWiktionary, Latin nidus‘nest’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*nizdosWiktionary, Latin nidus‘nest’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnīdusWiktionary, English niche‘nest’
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*nīdicāreWiktionary, English nichereconstructed
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400nicheWiktionary, English niche
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600nicheWiktionary, English niche
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentnicheWiktionary, English niche
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1641nicheWiktionary, English niche. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1641, John Evelyn, John Evelyn's Diary: “On the margin of this long tract, are abundance…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *sed- ‘sit’

set, president, size, sell, sit, sitting, seat, method, session, chair, resident, settle, assess, possess, siege, saddle, exodus, reside, subsidy, sedan, residue, residual, sediment, insidious, sedentary, dissident, beset, prasad, cathode, soot, sedative, setter, obsess, anode, sedate, presidio, sate, sessile, presidium, chaise, 91 more

through Proto-Indo-European *nisdós ‘nest’

nest, 6 more

through Latin nīdus ‘nest’

nye, nidal, nias, 6 more

through Old French niche

nick

Today it means

noun A cavity, hollow, or recess, generally within the thickness of a wall, for a statue, bust, or other erect ornament.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “niche”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *nisdós, Latin nidus. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sed- / niche

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