What is a “dining nook” in an apartment?

A nook is a small corner of a room used for one purpose. A dining nook is a little corner with a table for eating, like the one in this apartment tour “with space for two.” The word comes from an old English word for “corner,” and it always sounds positive: a nook is small in a good, cozy way — never small in a sad way.

English builds pairs with it: a breakfast nook is a small eating spot near the kitchen, and a reading nook is a quiet corner with a chair and a lamp. Apartment ads and home tours love the word, because “cozy nook” sounds much warmer than “small space.” If you watch home videos in English, you will meet it again and again.