dumbwaiter

American  

[duhm-wey-ter] / ˈdʌmˌweɪ tər /

noun

1. a small elevator, manually or electrically operated, consisting typically of a box with shelves, used in apartment houses, restaurants, and large private dwellings for moving dishes, food, garbage, etc., between floors.

2. British.

   1. an auxiliary serving table.

   2. a serving stand with tiers of revolving shelves.

   3. a serving cart.

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dumbwaiter British  

/ ˈdʌmˌweɪtə /

noun

1. 1. a stand placed near a dining table to hold food

   2. US and Canadian name: lazy Susan.  a revolving circular tray placed on a table to hold food

2. a lift for carrying food, rubbish, etc, between floors

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Etymology

Origin of dumbwaiter

First recorded in 1745–55; dumb + waiter

Example Sentences

Occasionally, your group will be divided, communicating only by a makeshift dumbwaiter in the byzantine rooms that create the sensation of being in a maze-like mansion.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2023

It's a dumbwaiter that was designed to carry these heavy glass plates.

From Scientific American • Jun. 22, 2023

And yet when I finally, as an adult, had a dumbwaiter shaft in my old, rented house, I found it scary, drafty.

From Salon • Jul. 13, 2022

Built in 1892, its features from that era include a 25-foot-long hallway, pocket doors and a butler’s pantry with a dumbwaiter.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 29, 2022

I rush from the room and hoist myself into the dumbwaiter.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• escalator