Cabinet

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkæb.ɪ.nɪt/

Definitions

1. A piece of furniture with shelves or drawers for storing items such as dishes or documents ; a body of high-ranking government officials who advise the head of state or government
2. A storage unit, often with doors and compartments, used to organize or protect objects ; a council of senior politicians who run government departments and help make decisions
3. An enclosed furnishing, typically wooden, used to keep things orderly and accessible ; a team of ministers responsible for directing government policy and administration

Etymology: The word "cabinet" began as a diminutive of "cabin," a small room or enclosure. Adding the diminutive ending "-et" to "cabin" produced a term for a little chamber, and English later borrowed the French "cabinet," which had the same sense, reinforcing the form. Over time the room-sense shrank to a small private space and then to the storage furniture we now know, a piece with shelves or drawers kept in a room rather than a room itself. The same process gave the word its political sense. A "cabinet" of ministers was named after the private room where a monarch's advisers met, much as "salon" came to mean a group of people gathering in a room. The name for a meeting place was transferred to the people who met there, so a government's inner circle inherited the name of the chamber where it deliberated.

Synonyms: cupboard, closet, shelf, case, storage

Antonyms: open space, exposure, disarray, disorganization, mess