old hovel
- noun
- /oʊld ˈhɑvəl/
- They found shelter in an old hovel at the edge of the abandoned village.
Examples
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The old hovel had a collapsed roof and shattered windows, bearing witness to many hard winters.
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The old hovel stood at the end of the street.
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After decades of abandonment, the old hovel was nearly swallowed by weeds and vines.
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They discovered an old hovel hidden in the forest.
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After years of living in an old hovel, she finally saved enough money for a new home.
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The old hovel at the edge of the village was abandoned and falling apart.
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Visitors were surprised to see that the charming neighborhood included an old hovel near the park.
Synonyms
14
7.1
A small simple house that is dirty and not good to live in
A small old run-down house where poor people live
Antonyms
How Dilapidated
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is transparently compositional: 'hovel' already denotes a poorly constructed, dilapidated dwelling and 'old' simply adds age. A B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer 'old hovel' as an aged, run-down small house, following a standard adjective + noun pattern common across languages.
Etymology
Old hovel creates a simple image: a hovel is a very small, rough shelter and old shows it is worn and falling apart. So, old hovel means 'a small, dilapidated house'.