niche Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a position particularly well suited to the person who occupies it
    • he found his niche in the academic world
  2. noun a small concavity
    recession; corner; recess.
  3. noun an enclosure that is set back or indented
    recess.
  4. noun (ecology) the status of an organism within its environment and community (affecting its survival as a species)
    ecological niche.

WordNet

Niche noun
Etymology
F., fr. It. nicchia, prop., a shell-like recess in a wall, fr. nicchio a shellfish, mussel, fr. L. mytilus.
Definitions
  1. A cavity, hollow, or recess, generally within the thickness of a wall, for a statue, bust, or other erect ornament. hence, any similar position, literal or figurative.
    Images defended from the injuries of the weather by niches of stone wherein they are placed. Evelun.

Webster 1913