credenza

/krəˈdɛnzə/

Other forms: credenzas

The fancy cupboard in which your grandparents display their good china can be called a credenza. Another word for a "sideboard," a credenza is a piece of furniture with drawers and a flat top.

Credenza is an Italian word, a fancier way to say "cupboard." It's a common item of furniture in dining rooms, a place where tablecloths, napkins, dishes, and silverware are stored. The name shares its root with credence, which today means "acceptance of something as true," but originally meant "testing food for poison before serving it," once a necessity in royal households. And the credenza? It was the table on which food was set before being tested.

Definitions of credenza

1. noun

   a kind of sideboard or buffet
   synonyms: credence

   type of:

   buffet, counter, sideboard

   a piece of furniture that stands at the side of a dining room; has shelves and drawers