- kiosk
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/kee"osk, kee osk"/, n.1. a small structure having one or more sides open, used as a newsstand, refreshment stand, bandstand, etc.2. a thick, columnlike structure on which notices, advertisements, etc., are posted.3. an interactive computer terminal available for public use, as one with Internet access or site-specific information: Students use kiosks to look up campus events.4. an open pavilion or summerhouse common in Turkey and Iran.5. Brit. a telephone booth.[1615-25; < F kiosque stand in a public park Turk kösk villa < Pers kushk palace, villa]
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Originally, in Islamic architecture, an open circular pavilion consisting of a roof supported by pillars.The word has been applied to a Turkish summer garden pavilion and a type of early Persian mosque. Today the term refers to any small urban booth that dispenses newspapers, information, or tickets.* * *
originally, in Islāmic architecture, an open circular pavilion consisting of a roof supported by pillars. The word has been applied to a wide variety of architectural elements. The summer palaces of the sultans of Turkey were called kiosks. A type of early Persian mosque, having a domed central area, is known as the kiosk mosque.In the United States the kiosk is often found in public parks, where it may function as a bandstand, and in private gardens, as a gazebo or summerhouse. The name is also applied to subway entrances, telephone booths, newsstands, information booths, public toilets, and (perhaps most familiar) the free-standing, solid, cylindrical structures upon which advertisements are posted in European cities.* * *
Universalium. 2010.