furniture

[fur-ni-cher]

noun

1. the movable articles, as tables, chairs, desks or cabinets, required for use or ornament in a house, office, or the like.

2. fittings, apparatus, or necessary accessories for something.

3. equipment for streets and other public areas, as lighting standards, signs, benches, or litter bins.

4. Also called bearer. Also called dead metal. Printing.,  pieces of wood or metal, less than type high, set in and about pages of type to fill them out and hold the type in place in a chase.

furniture

/ ˈfɜːnɪtʃə /

noun

1. the movable, generally functional, articles that equip a room, house, etc

2. the equipment necessary for a ship, factory, etc

3. printing lengths of wood, plastic, or metal, used in assembling formes to create the blank areas and to surround the type

4. the wooden parts of a rifle

5. obsolete,  the full armour, trappings, etc, for a man and horse

6. the attitudes or characteristics that are typical of a person or thing

   the furniture of the murderer's mind

7. informal,  someone or something that is so long established in an environment as to be accepted as an integral part of it

   he has been here so long that he is part of the furniture

8. See door furniture street furniture

Other Word Forms

• furnitureless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of furniture¹

1520–30; < French fourniture, derivative of fournir to furnish

Word History and Origins

Origin of furniture¹

C16: from French fourniture , from fournir to equip, _furnish

Example Sentences

I want to imagine the journey the furniture had before it got to me.

From Los Angeles Times

I built furniture in my apartment out of stacks of L.A.

From Los Angeles Times

"But I would urge them not to attempt anything dangerous like putting them up on street furniture or road signs," he said.

From BBC

The promoters added: "Signs/flags bigger than A3, flag poles, flares, glass or cans, umbrellas, alcohol, garden furniture, selfie sticks, professional cameras and audio recording equipment will not be permitted inside the event site."

From BBC

They say people spent the money on furniture, books, clothes or simply saved it.

From BBC

Related Words

• appliance 
• bed 
• bookcase 
• chair 
• couch 
• desk 
• equipment 
• goods 
• sofa 
• table