Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 23, 2023 is: bower \BOW-er\ noun

Bower is a literary word that usually refers to a garden shelter made with tree boughs or vines twined together.

// Resting in the shade of the bower was the perfect way to cool off during the hot summer afternoon.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bower)

Examples:

“Today, a café occupies part of the ground floor, its tables and chairs distributed under a leafy bower on the veranda.” — Samanth Subramanian, The New York Times, 9 June 2022

Did you know?

If you visited someone’s bower a millennium ago, you’d likely have found yourself at an attractive rustic cottage. A few centuries later, a visit to a bower could have involved a peek into a lady’s personal hideaway within a medieval castle or hall—that is, her private apartment. Both meanings hark back to the word’s ancient roots: it comes from Old English būr, meaning “dwelling.” Today, bower is more familiar as a word for a garden shelter made with tree boughs or vines twined together, a meaning that overlaps with that of [arbor](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arbor). (The adjective bowery, meaning “like a bower” or “full of bowers” is used to describe areas that resemble or are filled with these leafy pergola-like structures). Bower also features in the name of [bowerbirds](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bowerbird), any of approximately 20 different [bird species](https://www.britannica.com/animal/bowerbird) native to Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, the males of which build more-or-less elaborate structures using twigs, moss, and other plant materials to woo potential mates during courtship.