ki·osk (kê´ösk´, kê-ösk´) noun

1. A small open gazebo or pavilion.
2. A small structure, often open on one or more sides, used as a newsstand or booth.
3. A cylindrical structure on which advertisements are posted.

[French kiosque, from Turkish köSk, from Middle Persian goshak, corner, from Avestan *gaoshaka-, diminutive of gaosha-, ear.]

Word History: The lowly kiosk where one buys a newspaper or on which one posts advertisements is like a child in a fairy tale who though raised by humble parents is really the descendant of kings. The word kiosk was originally taken into English ultimately from Turkish, in which its source köshk meant "pavilion." The open structures referred to by the Turkish word were used as pavilions and summerhouses in Turkey and Persia. The first recorded use of kiosk in English (1625) has reference to these Middle Eastern structures, which Europeans imitated in their own gardens and parks. In France and Belgium, where the Turkish word had also been borrowed, their word kiosque was applied to something lower on the scale, structures resembling these pavilions but used as places to sell newspapers or as bandstands. England borrowed this lowly structure from France and reborrowed the word, which is first recorded in 1865 with reference to a place where newspapers are sold.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from INSO Corporation. All rights reserved.