Wareroom

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A designated space used for storing merchandise or supplies for a business, especially in a retail environment
2. A room specifically designed for the display and management of products before they are sold
3. An area where inventory is organized and maintained for efficient handling and accounting purposes

Etymology: "Ware" is an old English word for goods or merchandise, and "room" is the ordinary word for an enclosed space, so "wareroom" is a plain compound of the two. The older sense of "ware" survives in "software" and "hardware" as well as in the plural "wares" still used for goods on display at a market stall. A wareroom is, in other words, a room for goods. Its historical use centred on storing and showing merchandise, and the term has kept that commercial meaning, now applied mainly to furniture, appliances and other manufactured products shown to buyers before sale. Because the word is transparent, its meaning can be read straight from its parts.

Synonyms: storeroom, warehouse, stockroom, depot, storage room