davenport

¹ American  

[dav-uhn-pawrt, -pohrt] / ˈdæv ənˌpɔrt, -ˌpoʊrt /

noun

1. a large sofa, often one convertible into a bed.

2. Chiefly British. a small writing desk.

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Davenport ² American  

[dav-uhn-pawrt, -pohrt] / ˈdæv ənˌpɔrt, -ˌpoʊrt /

noun

1. John, 1597–1670, Puritan clergyman: one of the founders of New Haven.

2. a city in E Iowa, on the Mississippi River.

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davenport British  

/ ˈdævənˌpɔːt /

noun

1. a tall narrow desk with a slanted writing surface and drawers at the side

2. a large sofa, esp one convertible into a bed

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Etymology

Origin of davenport

First recorded in 1850–55; the desk is said to be named after a Captain Davenport who first commissioned it

Explanation

A davenport is a piece of furniture that you might lounge on in your living room — it's another name for an upholstered couch or sofa. Exactly how people describe a davenport depends on where they're from. In some parts of the U.S., a davenport is an especially fancy sofa, while in others it's one that can be converted into a bed. The name comes from a 19th century Massachusetts furniture maker, A.H. Davenport and Company. The family name Davenport goes back to a town in Cheshire, England. Earlier, the word referred to a small desk used for writing letters.

Example Sentences

She and her brothers, she wrote, had grown up in Onalaska, Wis., and she had loved that davenport.

From New York Times • Sep. 27, 2020

One day in January, near the turnstile at the exit of the 125th Street subway station, something caught my eye: a sepia-toned photograph that showed what looked like three siblings sitting on a davenport.

From New York Times • Sep. 27, 2020

We’d sit on the davenport, helping Grandmom make dinner.

From MSNBC • Oct. 9, 2015

Coe, who used to stretch out on the davenport in White's office, became a channel between White and the staff.

From Time Magazine Archive

This very morning von Rumpel inspected a fifteenth-century davenport and supervised its installment onto a railcar meant for Marshal Goring’s hunting lodge.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr