A cupboard is a piece of furniture with shelves and doors used for storing dishes, food, or other household items. It is usually built into a kitchen or stands against a wall.
Originally *cup board* in Middle English, meaning a board or table to display cups and dishes. Over time the words merged and the open board turned into a closed storage cabinet.
The spelling of *cupboard* still shows its history—‘cup’ plus ‘board’—but we now say it like ‘cubbard.’ It’s a little fossil in the language, hiding an old piece of furniture inside a modern kitchen word.
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