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Glite Dictionary
writing table

writing table

1 3.3
A desk with a flat top used for writing and often with drawers
  • noun
  • /ˈraɪtɪŋ ˈteɪbəl/
translation icon : mesa de escritura
  • Then she went into his study and sat at his writing table.
  • sat at the writing table
  • small writing table
  • writing table and chair

We got to mount Thomas Jefferson's writing table that they believe he wrote part of the Constitution on.

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Examples

  • Christopher sat at the writing table, but Sir Philip paced the room anxiously.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Inside her small private cabin, Pat Nixon sat behind a writing table, knowing that Dick was on the other side of the thin wall.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Then she went into the other room where the writing table and television set were.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • I went to my room and began reading a big book that lay on my writing table.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Half an hour later, I walk to my writing table in the shaded area I have created.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Ed pulls at the locked drawer in the writing table.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Ten minutes after she left, I walked over to her writing table and started looking around for her spiral notebook.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Barton rises and walks over to his writing table.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The housekeeper showed her into a spacious room furnished with a clothes press, a writing table, and a carved bed hung with silk curtains.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • I went to my room and began reading a big book that lay on my writing table.

Synonyms

table
vswriting table
∞ 1.0

A flat-topped piece of furniture with legs used for eating or working

is specialized for writing and often includes drawers or compartments for storage
desk
vswriting table
∞ 1.0

A piece of furniture with a flat surface for writing or working

is narrower, focusing mainly on writing and including built-in storage
secretary
vswriting table
  • Archaic
9 7.2

A desk with a top that folds down and drawers for papers

is like that but is generally a simpler flat writing furniture without shelves
writing desk
vswriting table
3 2.3

A desk with a flat surface and small drawers for writing by hand

is a solid flat furniture piece mainly used for writing with storage
escritoire
vswriting table
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A small writing desk with drawers for letters and papers

is the more general flat furniture used for writing, not only ornate pieces
secretaire
vswriting table
  • UK
9.9

A small desk with a top that folds down and drawers for papers

is similar but may lack a hinged surface and specific correspondence use

How Big

workstation
15 3.5
desk
∞ 1.0
writing table
1 3.3
lapboard
5.8

Surface Forms

writing table singular
writing tables plural

Morphology

writing + table

The meaning 'a desk or table used for writing' is directly derivable from combining 'writing' (the activity/purpose) with 'table' (a piece of furniture); the modifier clearly indicates function. This is a common, compositional English noun + modifier pattern found cross-linguistically, so an average B1 learner who knows both words would understand it.

Etymology

Writing table is a small desk with a flat top and narrow drawers where people kept paper, pens, and ink so they could sit and write letters by a lamp. So, the name comes from this use and today it means 'a table or desk used for writing'.