Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “cabinet” come from?

Cabinet comes from Middle English cabinet, from Old French cabinet, a diminutive of Old French cabin, from Latin cabanna meaning small room or hut.

cabinet (English): A storage closet either separate from, or built...

Definitions

  1. A storage closet either separate from, or built...

Ancestry of “cabinet”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchcabineta study; an office, a surgery; a cabinet
2French-etsuffix indicating diminution or affection
3Middle French-etUsed to form a diminutive, masculine noun
4Old French-etUsed to form a diminutive, masculine noun;...
5Latin-ātus—
6Proto-Italic-ātos—
7Proto-Indo-European-éh₂tos—

Words derived from “cabinet”

  • cabinetmaker
  • cabinetry
  • cabinetmaking
  • subcabinet
  • cabinetwork
  • undercabinet
  • noncabinet
  • supercabinet
  • cabinetful
  • cabinetlike
  • cabinetisation
  • kitchen cabinet
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂tos →