niching

noun

1. a recess or hollow in a wall, as for a statue, bust, or vase
2. a place or position particularly suitable to the person or thing in it
3. any small, specialized business market
4. Ecol.
   1. the particular role of an individual species or organism in its community and its environment, including its position in the food cycle and its behavior
   2. the specific space occupied by an organism within its habitat

Etymology: Fr < OFr nichier, to nest < VL *nidicare < L nidus, nest

transitive verb niched, niching nich′·ing