cupboard
/ˈkʌbəd
/noun
A recess or piece of furniture with a door and usually shelves, used for storage: a broom cupboard...
- There is a large walk-in airing cupboard and a family bathroom on this floor.
- There is also a large built-in storage cupboard in the landing.
- A utility room off the kitchen includes a fitted broom cupboard, floor units and stainless steel sink.
Origin
Late Middle English (denoting a table or sideboard on which cups, plates, etc. were displayed): from cup + board.
In the late Middle Ages a cupboard, as its spelling might suggest, was a board, or table, on which you displayed cups, plates, and other pieces of crockery. We would now call this a sideboard. The modern meaning of cupboard emerged in the 16th century.