carrel
/ˈkærəl/ (bre, ipa) · [kˈærəl] /ˈkærəl/ (ame, ipa) · [kˈærəl] /ˈker-əl ˈka-rəl/ (ame, mw)
carrel — noun
- carrelsingular
- carrelsplural
1. a small desk or private working area inside a library, separated from neighbouri
a small desk or private working area inside a library, separated from neighbouring desks by low walls or screens, used by one person for quiet reading, writing, or research
Mei-Lin spent three hours in her library carrel finishing her thesis draft.
possessive pronoun + library carrel for personal study
The law library has fifty private carrels for graduate students.
collocation: private carrel
Each carrel comes with a lamp, a small shelf, and a power outlet.
Carlos found an empty carrel on the fourth floor and spread his papers across it.
- cubicle
a more general term for any partitioned work area; carrel specifically means a study space inside a library
- study booth
similar in meaning but less common; emphasises the enclosed, booth-like shape
- desk
much wider in meaning, does not imply privacy, partitions, or library setting