china cabinet
3
2.6
- noun
- /ˈtʃaɪnə ˈkæbɪnɪt/
:
vitrina
- He carefully arranged the collectibles inside the china cabinet to make them more visually appealing.
- dining room china cabinet
- mahogany china cabinet
- corner china cabinet
Then you walk over next we have a China cabinet.
- Then you walk over next we have a China cabinet.
Examples
-
A few ears of Indian corn hang from my china cabinet for a festive fall touch.
Blog text (21) -
An antique white-pine china cabinet in the corner had been kicked in, the floor littered with broken dishes and shards of crystal.
Fiction book (1995) -
Oh, what about this for the china cabinet?
-
The glass in the china cabinet was filmed and hard to see through.
Fiction book (1992) -
We're now free to purchase a dining room table without the accompanying chairs and china cabinet.
Blog text (14) -
"He tapped on the glass front of the china cabinet."
Fiction book (1997) -
She trucks around the room, past the mahogany china cabinet, past the dining table.
Fiction book (1991) -
Through a doorway, he could see the dining room, far more formal with a dark cherrywood china cabinet partially visible.
Fiction book (1992) -
The living room serves as overflow: cookware rests on a pair of dining room chairs, and an old china cabinet holds all her flatware, cups, and bowls.
Blog text (32) -
The antique china cabinet in the dining room beautifully showcases my grandmother's fine dinnerware.
Synonyms
168
1.3
A piece of furniture with shelves or drawers for storing things
79
1.0
A cabinet with shelves for storing dishes or food
4
2.7
A piece of furniture with shelves or drawers for dishes
1
3.7
A cabinet with glass doors for storing and showing plates and cups
How Decorative
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a cabinet for storing/displaying china' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'china' (porcelain dishware) with 'cabinet' (a piece of furniture). This simple noun–noun compositional pattern is common in English and cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
China cabinet comes from a simple, literal idea: people kept their best dishes in a special cupboard with glass doors. They would put their best china, or 'porcelain plates and cups', in a display cabinet, so today the term means 'a cabinet for storing and showing fine dinnerware'.