Cabinetmakers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Artisans who design and build high-quality furniture pieces primarily from wood
2. Skilled workers specializing in creating custom wooden furniture and cabinetry
3. Professionals who construct detailed and finely crafted furniture items from wood

Etymology: Cabinetmaker is a compound of two ordinary English words, and its story lies mostly in the first one. "Cabinet" came into English from Old French "cabinet," a diminutive of "cabane" meaning a small hut or cabin, so the original sense was a little room or enclosed space. Only later did it come to name a piece of furniture with compartments and doors, the sort of thing a cabinetmaker builds. "Maker" comes from Old English "macian," meaning to make or construct, a verb with roots deep in Germanic speech. The plural "cabinetmakers" simply pluralizes the compound, so it names a group of such craftsmen. The combination is transparent: a person who makes cabinets, with the earlier sense of "cabinet" as a small enclosed room giving way to the furniture meaning over time.

Synonyms: carpenters