niche

(nĭch, nēsh)
n.

1. A recess in a wall, as for holding a statue or urn.
2. A cranny, hollow, or crevice, as in rock.
3. 1. A situation or activity specially suited to a person's interests, abilities, or nature: found her niche in life.
   2. A special area of demand for a product or service: "One niche that is approaching mass-market proportions is held by regional magazines" (Brad Edmondson).
4. Ecology.
   1. The function or position of an organism or population within an ecological community.
   2. The particular area within a habitat occupied by an organism.

tr.v., niched, nich·ing, nich·es.
To place in a niche.

[French, from Old French, from nichier, to nest (from Vulgar Latin *nīdicāre , from Latin nīdus, nest) or from Old Italian nicchio, seashell (perhaps from Latin mītulus, mussel).]

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The usual pronunciation is neesh, in the French manner, although the anglicized form nich is also heard. In business jargon, niche (always pronounced neesh, of course) means 'a special section of the market' to which the marketing effort for goods or services may be specifically directed, and in this use the word has developed a range of attributive uses (i.e. before another noun) such as niche market, niche product, and niche player (= a firm which exploits a niche):

The move completes the group's strategy of becoming a niche player in the new securities market after the big bang—Times, 1986.

Previous:	nicety, nice, next
Next:	niece, nigger, nimby

For more information on niche, visit Britannica.com.

particular specialty in which a firm has garnered a large market share. Often, the market will be small enough so that the firm will not attract very much competition. For example, a company that makes a line of specialty chemicals for use by only the petroleum industry is said to have a niche in the chemical industry. Stock analysts frequently favor such companies, since their profit margins can often be wider than those of firms facing more competition.

Previous:	New Zealand Exchange Limited (NZX), New York Stock Exchange Index
Next:	Nics, Nifty Fifty

noun

The proper or designated location: place. See place.

A set of ecological conditions which provides a species with the energy and habitat which enable it to reproduce and colonize. A niche is usually identified by the needs of the organism.

A recess in a wall, usually to contain sculpture or an urn; often semicircular in plan, surmounted by a half dome.

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A niche is similar to the job description of a population within a given species. However, instead of describing how many hours individuals will work, it describes features such as whether the species is active at night or during the day, what it eats, where it lives, and other aspects of day-to-day life. From one environment (or community) to another, the niche may vary depending on how much competition the species faces.

Previous question:	What is a community?
Next question:	Can two populations occupy the same niche?

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IN BRIEF: A place or use for which a person is best suited.

With her gift of a green thumb, she found her niche at the botanical gardens.

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A small recess, depression or indentation, especially a recess in the wall of a hollow organ that tends to retain contrast media, as revealed by radiography.

• ecological n. — the geographical location in the physical environment which the particular organism occupies best, in which it thrives best. The boundaries are determined by the suitability of the climate and the feed provided and competition with predators and collaboration with synergists.
• n. pericarditis — an abattoir finding in normal cattle; small red velvety patches on the outside of the great vessels.

For a list of words related to niche, see:

• Environment, Ecology, and Animal Behavior - niche: ecological niche
• Parts of Rooms - niche: alcove
• Classical Elements and Design - niche: recessed area in wall

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See words rhyming with "niche."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Niche.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - niche
v. tr. - anbringe i en niche

idioms:

• carve a niche    skabe sig en niche
• niche audience    nichepublikum

Nederlands (Dutch)
stek, nis, niche, in een nis plaatsen, vestigen

Français (French)
n. - place, niche, (Pub) créneau, (Écol) niche
v. tr. - placer (qch) dans une niche

idioms:

• carve a niche    se faire une place
• niche audience    (Pub) audience spécialisée

Deutsch (German)
n. - Nische, (Ökol.)(Soz.) Platz, Marktnische
v. - mit einer Nische versehen

idioms:

• carve a niche    sich eine (Markt)nische schaffen
• niche audience    spezialisierte Audienz

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (αρχιτ.) αχιβάδα, κόγχη, γωνιά

idioms:

• carve a niche    καλύπτω κομμάτι της αγοράς
• niche audience    πελάτες στόχος

Italiano (Italian)
nicchia

idioms:

• carve a niche    farsi posto

Português (Portuguese)
n. - nicho (m), posição ou lugar adequado

idioms:

• carve a niche    fazer um ninho

Русский (Russian)
ниша

idioms:

• carve a niche    найти свое место

Español (Spanish)
n. - posición conveniente, hueco, nicho, hornacina
v. tr. - colocar en un nicho

idioms:

• carve a niche    lograr una buena posición
• niche audience    nicho de audiencia

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - nisch, rätt plats

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
壁橱, 放入壁橱, 安顿

idioms:

• carve a niche    开发缝隙市场
• niche audience    缝隙市场消费者

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 壁櫥
v. tr. - 放入壁櫥, 安頓

idioms:

• carve a niche    開發縫隙市場
• niche audience    縫隙市場消費者

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 벽감, 적소
v. tr. - (조상 등을)벽감에 안치하다, (적소에)앉히다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 壁龕, ふさわしい場所, ニッチ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) محراب, مشكاة, كوة في حائط‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮גומחה (נישה), מקום, משרה נוחה, ג'וב טוב, אפשרות לעשיית רווח‬
v. tr. - ‮שם בגומחה, התמקם בגומחה‬

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