aumbry

or am·bry

[ am-bree ]

noun,plural aum·bries.

Also called armarium. Ecclesiastical. a recess in the wall of a church or a cupboard in the sacristy where sacred vessels, books, vestments, etc., are kept.
Chiefly British Dialect. a storeroom, closet, or pantry.

Obsolete. any of various types of closet or cupboard with doors and shelves.

Origin of aumbry

First recorded in 1200–1250; Middle English aumry, almerie, almarie, from Old French aumaire, almarie, from Medieval Latin almārium, dissimilated variant of armārium, from Latin; see armarium

Obsolete, alm·er·y [ah-muh-ree] /ˈɑ mə ri/ .

Words Nearby aumbry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use aumbry in a sentence

There is a very singular aumbry or alms-box, formed in an oak bench-end near the door.
The Cornwall Coast | Arthur L. Salmon
In the north wall there is a square aumbry, and in the south wall a large piscina, with trefoil head and projecting basin.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Ripon | Cecil Walter Charles Hallett
The deep window recess opposite the door was fitted up as a small chapel, with aumbry, Piscina, and Sedilia.
Authorised Guide to the Tower of London | W. J. Loftie
An aumbry was a recess in the wall well lined inside with wood so that the damp of the masonry should not spoil the books.
Old English Libraries | Ernest Savage
These recesses are shown on the plan here reproduced; so also is the common aumbry in the wall of the south transept.
Old English Libraries | Ernest Savage

British Dictionary definitions for aumbry

aumbry

/ (ˈɔːmbrɪ) /

nounplural -bries

a variant of ambry

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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