{"id":22846,"date":"2023-04-25T13:28:38","date_gmt":"2023-04-25T13:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/?p=22846"},"modified":"2023-04-25T13:28:39","modified_gmt":"2023-04-25T13:28:39","slug":"cupboards-cabinets-and-closets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/?p=22846","title":{"rendered":"Cupboards, Cabinets and Closets"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A friend asked me about the difference between <strong>cupboards<\/strong>, <strong>cabinets<\/strong> and <strong>closets<\/strong>, so I thought I&#8217;d look into it and write a post about it.<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/kjs76\/4470584711\/in\/photolist-7P3V5K-JNHL25-bZQ37h-2gajTno-9eqRN1-4T68LF-9enPEz-9enLfx-JLdbF-Rjw7H2-7ycw6M-57foEJ-23JgEd-9qm5gU-8o91BC-2igCoX8-2n67TxW-5Wgt3M-bqvEFh-9enLSM-4EXc62-LPrf-7D9bpK-7gEVSb-6rKyoC-nXqJus-bR1Mex-8WUQkc-2gCKuhG-2gEmmPf-7gGazU-dy5XL3-at7NLD-34iTxq-9eqT47-9UT7Hr-kXXU7-9uocEq-f1o6NS-4B3fia-uq721J-YdZoeP-4B3gxr-2bib4ad-4B7x2j-4B3eWk-7cMXLt-65WTut-4B3g4P-4B7wbm\" title=\"Cupboards\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/2709\/4470584711_142be765e8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Cupboards\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\"><\/a><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A <strong>cupboard<\/strong> is<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A storage closet either separate from, or built into, a wall.<\/li>\n<li>Things displayed on a sideboard; dishware, particularly valuable plate(<em>16th-19th century<\/em>).<\/li>\n<li>A board or table used to openly hold and display silver plate and other dishware; a sideboard; a buffet (<em>14th-18th century<\/em>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Note that kitchen cupboards are also known as kitchen cabinets.  What do you call them?<\/p>\n<p>It comes from Middle English <em>cuppeborde<\/em> (sideboard), from <em>cuppe<\/em> (cup) and <em>bord<\/em> (board, slab, table) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/cabinet#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>If something is small, fusty or poorly lit, you could call it \u201ccupboardy\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/cupboardy#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/cr01\/349081441\/in\/photolist-wR8Kx-dJCkyo-rcDeN-ab6b2u-vdCNGw-dokCLQ-4prK14-5sNq6S-qEAEF-5sJ4FM-jKcdfT-jKd6QK-2mAeFAD-Tn48vQ-4SsNjC-57CAKb-L45AfF-TieYog-7fTboQ-Sxza85-64ptfU-7fSfbd-5sJ24T-e2csN-9oPeR9-26DoERs-2hq6BPB-R9c9N2-7QvYE-2g8J62M-95UCLX-RqNFNH-5gmu4x-5sWGWd-tcCCKp-uSYZBr-JGS5n1-bZ7gYY-dJCmJG-4VgC61-Jeam4-dJCiBm-2hZi7u-dJwNYV-dJCnw1-AKhcJ-fK6FnM-YqTwhH-dSvCes-qF2mKm\" title=\"Japanese Cabinet\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/130\/349081441_59a54dc50c.jpg\" alt=\"Japanese Cabinet\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\"><\/a><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A <strong>cabinet<\/strong> is<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A storage closet either separate from, or built into, a wall.<\/li>\n<li>A cupboard.<\/li>\n<li>A group of advisors to a government or business entity.<\/li>\n<li>A group of government ministers responsible for creating government policy and for overseeing government departments.<\/li>\n<li>A small chamber or private room (<em>archaic<\/em>) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/cabinet#English\">source<\/a>].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Originally it meant a secret storehouse, treasure chamber or case for valuables. It comes from Middle French <em>cabinet<\/em> (small room), a diminutive of the Old French <em>cabane<\/em> (cabin) [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/search?q=cabinet\">source<\/a>], from Old Proven\u00e7al <em>cabana<\/em>, from Late Latin <em>capanna\/cabanna<\/em> (hut), which is of uncertain origin [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/search?q=cabin\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/aliarda\/8858891195\/in\/photolist-euQ8Hn-zpvYVt-c7MUxj-2aN7v5-6XKK3h-DZiy7-34bjTY-6dqrAQ-9rHdua-a1v6N-yuHnr-4Yjf7-DFw86-mLdAi-LDCc4-5UdPP-4kEWK-4kEVY-JHHuM-5Fp92f-4SRk6x-bwgqw-LDCHi-5RWr5c-8CDpxE-2ojhhMv-bYx18S-4vN43j-bYx12b-ryhkuW-5Qd9Wg-Vy6qoE-2hUMDS-91qra6-3F63if-2g5xvdT-6DNBX-8QcrYZ-8JRjHT-nyFV4v-6kcLvi-nwBYCT-cr5BQC-88zq39-9czs6r-b7Dqnt-7aMkzL-bk9YTc-7aHnHp-7aMksw\" title=\"Rudin House, Mary Ellen's clothes\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/8131\/8858891195_bcb5e36ae2.jpg\" alt=\"Rudin House, Mary Ellen's clothes\" width=\"500\" height=\"272\"><\/a><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A <strong>closet<\/strong> is<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A small room within a house used to store clothing, food, or other household supplies.<\/li>\n<li>A secret or hiding place.<\/li>\n<li>A small room or side-room (<em>mainly in Scotland and Ireland<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li>A small room or side-room intended for storing clothes or bedclothes. (<em>in the USA and Philippines<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Obsolete and archaic meanings of <strong>closet<\/strong> include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Any private space, (particularly) bowers in the open air.<\/li>\n<li>Any private or inner room, (particularly):<br \/>\n&#8211; A private room used by women to groom and dress themselves.<br \/>\n&#8211; A private room used for prayer or other devotions<br \/>\n&#8211; A place of (usually, fanciful) contemplation and theorizing.<br \/>\n&#8211; The private residence or private council chamber of a monarch.<\/li>\n<li>A pew or side-chapel reserved for a monarch or other feudal lord.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>An American-style closet (as in the photo above) might be called a <strong>built-in wardrobe<\/strong> in the UK. What would you call it?<\/p>\n<p>It comes from Old French <em>closet<\/em> (a small enclosed area, such as a field or paddock), from <em>clos<\/em> (enclosed outdoor area, such as a field or a paddock), from Latin <em>clausum<\/em> (enclosed space, enclosure) <em>clausus<\/em> (shut, closed), from <em>claud\u014d<\/em> (I shut, close, lock), from Proto-Italic <em>*klaud\u014d<\/em> (I close), from Proto-Indo-European <em>*kleh\u2082u-<\/em> (key, hook, nail) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/closet#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>English words from the same roots include <strong>cloister<\/strong>, <strong>clove<\/strong>, <strong>claustrophobia<\/strong> [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European\/kleh%E2%82%82w-\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>In Scotland and Ireland, a word used for cupboards and cabinets is <strong>press<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A friend asked me about the difference between cupboards, cabinets and closets, so I thought I&#8217;d look into it and write a post about it. A cupboard is A storage closet either separate from, or built into, a wall. Things displayed on a sideboard; dishware, particularly valuable plate(16th-19th century). A board or table used to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104,107,10,15,26,27,34,45,46,78],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english","category-etymology","category-language","category-latin","category-middle-english","category-middle-french","category-old-french","category-proto-indo-european","category-proto-italic","category-words-and-phrases"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22846"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22846\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22854,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22846\/revisions\/22854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}