Den

How to spell den

3 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce den

What does den mean?

1. nounThe hidden lair or shelter where a wild animal lives, often a cave or burrow.
2. nounA small, comfortable private room in a house used for relaxing, reading, or working.

Den in a sentence

• The fox returned to its den at dawn with food for the cubs.

• He keeps his books and an old armchair in the den at the back of the house.

• The bear settled into a rocky den to sleep through the winter.

• They converted the spare bedroom into a quiet den for working from home.

Where does den come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a genuinely old native English word, descending from the Old English denn, which named the lair or cave where a wild animal lived. It belongs to the Germanic layer of the language and is closely tied to the Old English denu, meaning a valley or hollow, since a beast's hidden den was often tucked into a sheltered dip in the land. Over the centuries the literal animal sense broadened, so that by the 1700s English speakers were also using den for a snug, secluded room in a house where a person could retreat. The word has stayed short and phonetic, with no silent letters or borrowed spellings, which is exactly why it has never troubled writers. Its long history also gives English the place-name element seen in older valley names that share the same root.

How the word is built

• den (from Old English denn: a wild animal's lair)