Cellaret

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A cabinet crafted for the purpose of containing and exhibiting bottles of alcoholic drinks An elegant storage solution designed for the display and safeguarding of various beverages A specialized furniture piece intended for the organized housing of wine and liquor bottles
2. A piece of furniture specifically designed to store and organize bottles of wine and spirits, often found in dining or living rooms
3. A storage unit made to hold and protect alcohol bottles, typically crafted of wood and used in homes for easy access

Etymology: A cellaret is a cabinet for storing bottles, and its name is about as plain as furniture names come: it is simply "cellar" with the diminutive suffix "-et" attached. The "-et" ending, borrowed through French, makes a small version of whatever it is attached to, so the cellaret is a little cellar, a compact store for wine and spirits that could sit in a dining room rather than down in a basement. The sense of the base word is the key to the furniture's purpose. A cellar was originally a storeroom for provisions, especially wine and liquor, and the cellaret moved that function upstairs into the room where the bottles were actually poured. The word therefore records a practical idea: the cellar was carried into the house in miniature.

Synonyms: wine cabinet, liquor cabinet, bar, sideboard, buffet