What is the British word for closet?

In British English, a closet is typically referred to as a "wardrobe" or "cupboard." The word closet is used for specific cases, namely “linen closet” for a space that exclusively contains bed linen, table cloths and similar items.

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Is closet American or British English?

Though uncommon in Britain such little rooms are, I'm told, standard in American bedrooms and are always called closets. We call ours a cupboard. Even if we used it for clothes, I still wouldn't call it a closet, because that word isn't in my idiolect.

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Is a wardrobe a closet UK?

“In the UK when a home does have what in the US would be called a closet, it's more usually referred to as a “walk-in wardrobe”, or possibly “fitted wardrobe” (although that would more often be more like a cupboard built into the room).”

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Is closet an American word?

As we mentioned earlier, “closet” in the sense of a built-in wardrobe appeared in late 19th-century American usage and emigrated to Britain a century or so later.

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Is wardrobe a British word?

There is a lot of word history packed into wardrobe. The word was borrowed by Middle-English speakers from a variant of Anglo-French garderobe. A combination of garder and robe, garderobe itself has been borrowed into English as a synonym of wardrobe.

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How to pronounce wardrobe | British English and American English pronunciation

43 related questions found

What is closet in English Oxford?

​a small room or a space in a wall with a door that reaches the floor, used for storing things.

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What do you call closet in Australia?

A closet is what Americans call a wardrobe, but in Australia a closet might also be walk-in or built-in storage space anywhere in the home, such as a hallway closet or a laundry closet. Typically though, we would call them cupboards.

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What is the old fashioned word for clothes closet?

armoire
  • clothespress.
  • repository.
  • wardrobe.

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What is a closet vs a wardrobe?

A closet is typically used for storing clothes and other items that are not used on a daily basis. A wardrobe, on the other hand, is typically used for storing items that you use on a daily basis, such as your clothing, shoes, and other accessories.

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Do houses in Britain have closets?

It sounds like most British homes don't have built-in closets; they have wardrobes as a piece of furniture. Closets reign supreme on this side of the pond.

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Do Brits say sofa?

Couch is predominantly used in North America , South Africa , Australia and Ireland , whereas the terms sofa and settee (U and non-U ) are most commonly used in the United Kingdom and India .

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Why do Americans have closets?

The economic boom following the war led to an even larger consumer culture in the U.S., and increased need for a place to keep everything. More people began moving to the suburbs and buying larger homes. These larger homes came with closets, and Americans had plenty of new clothes to fill them with.

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What is a fancy closet called?

Basically, almirahs, armoires, chifforobes, and wardrobes are all large, freestanding cabinets with interior shelving and racks—but they're generally smaller than even a simple reach-in closet. Originally, they may have been designed to house specific types of items.

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What is a clothing closet called?

A wardrobe or armoire or almirah is a standing closet used for storing clothes.

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What is the Old English term for outfit?

Raiment is an old-fashioned word for clothing, particularly fancy clothing, like ladies who always wore their best raiment when calling on friends. Raiment is formal clothing.

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What is the Old English word for clothing?

A common Old English word for “clothes” was hæteru (long æ, neuter plural; the singular form has not been recorded). Its continuation hater stayed in the language until the Middle period and is still current in some regions; one of its Indo-European cognates means “covering,” a circumstance not to be lost sight of.

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What do you call a small closet?

Reach-in Closets

A reach-in closet is another widely used closet. However, it is smaller in size when compared to a walk-in closet. These have been around for quite a while, and their main role originally is to provide space for hanging clothes by a rod provided in the closet, with an open shelf above.

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What is a cabinet in British English?

British English: cabinet /ˈkæbɪnɪt/ NOUN. A cabinet is a cupboard used for storing things or for displaying objects in.

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What do you call a pantry in England?

"Pantry" is the preferred term in the US for a separate room next to the kitchen or a closet/cupboard where food is stored, whereas "larder" and "pantry" are more or less equally used in the UK to refer to that place.

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What is can in British English?

In British and American English, when we say 'I ca'n do it', can sounds like c'n. That's right. And in American, when you say 'I can't do it', 'can't' sounds like 'can'.

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What is the closet slang?

In English, a person concealing his or her sexual identity is said to be “in the closet.” This phrase can tell us quite a bit about the experience it describes.

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Why is a closet called a wardrobe?

The word wardrobe appeared in the English language in the early 14th century. It originated from Old French words warderobe, wardereube and garderobe, in which “warder” meant “to keep, to guard” and “robe” meant “garment”.

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What is a closet called?

A wardrobe is sometimes built into the wall of a room, rather than being a separate piece of furniture. In American English, a built-in wardrobe is called a closet.

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What do the French call a wardrobe?

1. (= cupboard) armoire f. 2. (= clothes) garde-robe f.

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What is a minimalist closet called?

A capsule wardrobe is a small collection of clothes that can be put together in different ways and includes everything one would normally need to wear. The aim is to have an outfit suitable for any occasion without owning excessive items of clothing.

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