A small house.
"They decided to build a cozy cottage on the edge of the lake where they could enjoy their retirement in peace."
In plain English: A cottage is a small, cozy house that usually has a garden and feels more like a home than a big apartment building.
"They decided to rent a cozy cottage by the lake for their summer vacation."
Usage: Use "cottage" to describe a small, cozy house, often located in rural areas or on the edge of a town. Avoid using it for any building large enough to be called a standard home or mansion.
To stay at a seasonal home, to go cottaging.
"After saving up for months, we finally booked our cottage to spend the summer away from the city."
In plain English: To cottage means to live in a small, cozy house in the countryside.
"The cottage did not settle until we waited for the wood to dry out completely."
Usage: Use "cottaged" only when referring specifically to the act of staying at a seasonal home or cottage for leisure. In standard usage, this verb is rare and should not be confused with the noun meaning a small house.
The word "cottage" comes from the Old Northern French words for a small dwelling or its surrounding property. Although it has Germanic roots similar to the Finnish word for hut, it entered Middle English via Anglo-Norman and Medieval Latin as a term specifically denoting a modest house with land attached.