Robin Panza certainly is closest to the definition of "kiosk" as reported in all of the dictionaries I've seen (5 min. research, less time than it took to read the various guesses and specialized uses). A Persian kiosk was indeed a small, open pavilion. Although there are some characteristically Persian styles of kiosk, basically in most English language usage it's merely a small, open structure--period. Usage or function is independent, although the AAT definition suggests that the usage is usually commercial. My edition of AAt places it in the "single built works by form" hierarchy--between basilicas and lean-tos (what a range). There are obvious advantages in restricting the word to a building type in line with its original meaning, rather than trying to infer a function from it. You can conduct any kind of business in a kiosk or put anything in it (almost), but to try to restrict it to a specific, limited function will cause confusion. I'm not sure what people have in mind by "computer kiosks," but I've seen computer stations that defininitely were NOT kiosks and weren't IN kiosks. --David Haberstich