furniture
nounUK /ˈfɜː.nɪ.t͡ʃə/ · US /ˈfɝ.nɪ.t͡ʃɚ/
Etymology From Middle French fourniture (“a supply, or the act of furnishing”), from fournir (“to furnish”).
19 senses
- 1Large movable item(s), usually in a room, which…
- 2The harness, trappings etc. of a horse, hawk, or other animal.
- 3Fittings, such as handles, of a door, coffin, or other…
- 4An accompanying enhancing feature, or features…
- 5The stock and forearm of a weapon.
- 6The pieces of wood or metal put around pages of type to…
- 7The stumps.
- 8Any material on the page other than the body text and…
- 9A type of mixture organ stop.
- 10Draped coverings and hangings; bedsheets, tablecloths…
- 11Clothing with which a person is furnished; apparel, outfit.
- 12Arms and armor, equipment of war.
- 13Equipment for work, apparatus, tools, instruments.
- 14Condiments of a salad.
- 15Stock, supply, stores, provisions.
- 16Contents; that with which something is filled or stocked.
- 17Impressive-looking books used for filling out the…
- 18The action of furnishing or supplying.
- 19The condition of being equipped, prepared, or mentally…
Usually Large movable item(s), usually in a room, which enhance(s) the room's characteristics, functionally or decoratively.
- The woman does not even have one stick of furniture moved in yet.
- How much furniture did they leave behind?
4 more examples
- A chair is furniture. Sofas are also furniture.
- They bought a couple of pieces of furniture.
- Your furniture is beautiful.
- Three chairs of the steamer type, all maimed, comprised the furniture of this roof-garden, with (by way of local color) on one of the copings a row of four red clay flower-pots filled with sun-baked dust […]1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter I (Anarchy), page 377, column 2:
Usually The harness, trappings etc. of a horse, hawk, or other animal.
- We commend a horse because he is strong and nimble,[…]and not for his furniture: a greyhound for his swiftnesse, not for his collar: a hawke for her wing, not for her cranes or bells.1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 42, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
- Amongst the rich this part of a hawk's furniture is ornamented with embroidery, handsome silver aigrettes, tassels and other decorations.1934, George Cameron Stone, A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor, →ISBN:
1 more example
- Horse furniture included a white sheepskin with red ‘wolf's teeth’; blue shabraque with yellow edging and royal cypher; blue valise with yellow edging.2002, Ronald Pawly, Wellington's Dutch Allies 1815, →ISBN, page 19:
Usually Fittings, such as handles, of a door, coffin, or other wooden item.
- […]a new universal pistol, one to be carried by each man, with a 9-inch barrel of musket-bore and an iron ramrod carried in the holster; the furniture was reduced to just a brass trigger guard (no butt-plate), and some were fitted with Nock's lock.1994, Philip Haythornthwaite, British Cavalryman 1792-1815, →ISBN, page 30:
Obsolete, Usually An accompanying enhancing feature, or features collectively; embellishment, decoration, trimming.
- A Scythian Shepherd, so imbelliſhed With Natures pride, and richeſt furniture? His looks do menace heauen & dare the Gods, His fiery eies are fixt vpon the earth.c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:
Engineering, Firearms, Government, Military, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Politics, Tools, War, Weaponry Usually The stock and forearm of a weapon.
Media, Printing, Publishing Historical, Usually The pieces of wood or metal put around pages of type to make proper margins and fill the spaces between the pages and the chase.
Ball games, Cricket, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports Slang, Usually The stumps.
Journalism, Media Usually Any material on the page other than the body text and pictures of articles; for example, headlines, datelines and dinkuses, lines and symbols (though in earlier use, only non-text elements of page design, such as lines and symbols).
- It read: “This article was amended on 3 January 2023. The original furniture said the fireworks display was on Christmas Eve.”2023 January 31, Elisabeth Ribbans, “The perils of using journalist jargon outside the newsroom”, in The Guardian:
Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music Usually A type of mixture organ stop.
Archaic, Usually Draped coverings and hangings; bedsheets, tablecloths, tapestries, etc.
Obsolete, Usually Clothing with which a person is furnished; apparel, outfit.
Obsolete, Usually Arms and armor, equipment of war.
Archaic, Usually Equipment for work, apparatus, tools, instruments.
In plural, Obsolete, Usually Condiments of a salad.
Obsolete, Usually Stock, supply, stores, provisions.
Obsolete, Usually Contents; that with which something is filled or stocked.
Usually Impressive-looking books used for filling out the collection of a private library.
Obsolete, Usually The action of furnishing or supplying.
Obsolete, Usually The condition of being equipped, prepared, or mentally cultivated.
- Synonyms
- furniture, furnishings
- Derived terms
26 terms
angels moving the furniture, disfurniture, federation furniture, furniture beetle, furnitureless, furnituremaker, furnituremaking, furniture music, furniture polish, furniture poverty, furniturized, gun furniture, move furniture, nomadic furniture, occasional furniture, part of the furniture, piece of furniture, pistol furniture, road furniture, save the furniture, stick of furniture, street furniture, traffic furniture, unfurnitured, urban furniture, utility furniture- Related terms
- furnish, :Category:Furniture
- Hypernyms
- artifact