When I think of the word kiosk, I envision a small booth, similar to one-window newsstands, information centers, or small touchscreen stations. This is the common understanding in most English-speaking countries (except Australia, where it refers to take-out places). However, in many other places, the original definition of “open pavilion” is used, which could refer to much larger structures; the connection was a perceived resemblance in shape. The term kiosk was borrowed in the early 1600s from the French kiosque, which in turn was derived from the Ottomans, who called it koshk. This traces back to Persian kushk, meaning “palace,” with an unknown origin. The adoption of the modern definition led to a surge in the usage of the word kiosk in literature during the 1980s.
