Nightstand

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A compact piece of furniture usually situated adjacent to a bed, intended for the display and storage of personal items or bedside necessities
2. A functional item of bedroom décor often found next to a sleeping area, used for placing items like books, lamps, or alarm clocks
3. A small table positioned beside a bed, used for holding objects needed during the night

Etymology: "Nightstand" is a plain compound, built from "night" and "stand." In this word, "stand" has its older sense of a support or fixture on which something is set, the same sense found in "washstand," "hatstand," and "music stand." The furniture was therefore named for what it does: it stands by the bed at night and holds whatever a sleeper might need, such as a lamp, a glass of water, or a book. The pattern is a practical one. Early English furniture names often took the form of a noun plus "stand" to describe a raised surface for a particular purpose, and "nightstand" follows that model directly. Nothing in its formation is unusual, and its meaning is transparent from its parts.

Synonyms: bedside table, night table, bedside cabinet