credenza
Americannoun
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Also a sideboard or buffet, especially one without legs.
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a closed cabinet for papers, office supplies, etc., often of desk height and matching the other furniture in an executive's office.
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Ecclesiastical. credence.
noun
Etymology
Origin of credenza
1875–80; < Italian < Medieval Latin crēdentia (in ecclesiastical usage) a sideboard for holding sacramental vessels; see credence
Compare meaning
How does credenza compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
The fancy cupboard in which your grandparents display their good china can be called a credenza. Another word for a "sideboard," a credenza is a piece of furniture with drawers and a flat top. Credenza is an Italian word, a fancier way to say "cupboard." It's a common item of furniture in dining rooms, a place where tablecloths, napkins, dishes, and silverware are stored. The name shares its root with credence, which today means "acceptance of something as true," but originally meant "testing food for poison before serving it," once a necessity in royal households. And the credenza? It was the table on which food was set before being tested.
Vocabulary lists containing credenza
Believe It or Not: Cred
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The Ottoman Empire: Furniture Words
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2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Notably, one credenza in the home featured photos of Epstein with politicians, celebrities and businessmen.
From Salon • Aug. 5, 2025
A sitar case leaned against the credenza housing her record player.
From New York Times • Jan. 23, 2024
But if I go for fun, I find the most amazing things, like a beautiful Midcentury Modern credenza I have kept for years and years.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2023
The credenza in the back of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van groaned as Lars Balderskilde drove through the woodlands near Vejle, Denmark, a city on a fjord about 2 1/2 hours from Copenhagen.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 3, 2023
They had put a few pictures up too, and there was a stack of CDs on top of the credenza.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
