# cabinet

Pronunciation: US/UK say "KAB-i-nit" /ˈkæb.ɪ.nɪt/; AUS say "KAB-nuht" /ˈkæb.nət/

## Noun

1. A storage closet, either standing separate from a wall or built into it.
   - Simple: A space for storing things, either built into a wall or standing on its own.
   - _The hallway cabinet held decades of board games and holiday decorations._
   - _Carpenters framed a cabinet into the wall beside the chimney._
2. A cupboard, typically a unit with doors and shelves used to store dishes, food, or household items.
   - Simple: A piece of furniture with doors and shelves, used for keeping dishes, food, or other things.
   - _He reorganized every kitchen cabinet over the weekend._
   - _The bathroom cabinets were stocked with fresh towels and soap._
3. A group of advisors to a government or a business organization.
   - Simple: A group of people who give advice to the leader of a government or company.
   - _The governor's cabinet gathered to discuss the new transportation plan._
   - _After the merger, the CEO formed a cabinet of senior executives to guide strategy._
4. In parliamentary and similar systems of government, the group of ministers who set government policy and oversee the departments of the executive branch.
   - Simple: The group of top government ministers who make policy and run the main government departments.
   - _The new prime minister announced her cabinet within a week of taking office._
   - _Several cabinet ministers resigned over the trade agreement._
5. An enclosure that houses mechanical or electrical equipment.
   - Simple: A box or case that holds and protects machines or electrical parts.
   - _Technicians traced the fault to a corroded relay inside the control cabinet._
   - _Outdoor cabinets along the street hold the neighborhood's fiber-optic equipment._
6. The upright housing of a coin-operated arcade game, containing its screen, controls, and hardware; also called a cab.
   - Simple: The tall case that holds an arcade video game, with its screen and controls.
   - _Collectors restore vintage cabinets and sell them to retro arcades._
   - _The original cabinet featured hand-painted artwork on both side panels._
7. A collection of art or ethnographic objects, such as one assembled by a collector or museum.
   - Simple: A collection of art objects or items from different cultures.
   - _The university acquired a nineteenth-century cabinet of Pacific Island artifacts._
   - _His cabinet grew to include prints, medals, and carved ivories._
8. Something that holds or supplies a store of valuable things.
   - Simple: A person, place, or thing full of valuable or useful items.
   - _The old professor's mind was a cabinet of forgotten lore._
   - _Folk songs serve as a cabinet of a region's history and humor._
9. In Kentucky, an executive-branch agency headed by a member of the governor's cabinet.
   - Simple: A big part of the state government in Kentucky, run by one of the governor's top officials.
   - _The Transportation Cabinet announced repairs to several rural bridges._
   - _He spent his career in the state's largest cabinet, overseeing health services._
10. A standard photograph format whose prints measure 3⅞ by 5½ inches.
   - Simple: An old size of photo, about four inches wide and five and a half inches tall.
   - _The photographer mounted each cabinet on stiff card stock for display._
   - _Families exchanged cabinets of their children at holiday gatherings._
11. A milkshake, a blended drink of milk, ice cream, and syrup. *(dialectal)*
   - Simple: A milkshake: a thick, sweet drink made of milk, ice cream, and flavoring.
   - _Every soda fountain in Providence once served cabinets to schoolkids after class._
   - _He swears the best coffee cabinet in the state comes from a little stand in Pawtucket._

## Noun

12. A small room set apart for private use. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A small private room where a person could work, talk, or be alone.
   - _The duke withdrew to his cabinet to draft the reply in private._
   - _Her cabinet overlooked the garden and held her books and writing desk._
13. A hut, cottage, or other small, humble dwelling. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A small, simple house, such as a hut or cottage.

## Origin

Formed from "cabin" plus the suffix "-et," influenced by French "cabinet." In the sense of a government group, it may be compared with "salon," which was likewise named for a room used for gathering.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cabinet (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).