closet

English

Etymology

From Old French closet (clos +‎ -et).

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈklɒzɪt/
• (US) IPA: /ˈklɑzɪt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒzɪt

Noun

Wikipedia closet (plural closets)

1. (chiefly US) A piece of furniture or a cabinet in which clothes or household supplies may be stored.
2. A small private chamber.
3. A toilet; a water closet.
4. (figuratively) The imagined closet in idioms such as in the closet or skeleton in the closet, a place to keep things hidden.

   The 'closet' can be a scary place for a gay teenager.

Synonyms

• (A piece of furniture): cupboard, wardrobe, press (British), locker, cabinet

Translations

furniture

• Armenian: պահարան (hy) (paharan)
• Azeri: dolab (az), şkaf (az)
• Bulgarian: стенен гардероб (bg) (stenen garderob), килер (bg) (kiler) m
• Czech: skříň (cs)
• Danish: skab (da) n
• Dutch: kast (nl) m and f
• Esperanto: ŝranko (eo)
• Finnish: kaappi (fi), komero (fi)
• French: placard (fr) m
• German: Schrank (de) m

• Greek: ντουλάπι (el) (ntoulápi) n
• Hebrew: ארון (he) (arón)
• Icelandic: skápur (is)
• Japanese: クローゼット (ja) (kurozetto)
• Persian: کمد (fa) (komod), اشکاف (fa) (eškâf)
• Polish: szafa (pl) f
• Portuguese: guarda-roupas (pt)
• Russian: шкаф (ru) (škaf) m
• Spanish: ropero (es) m, armario (es) m, clóset (es) m
• Turkish: dolap (tr)

small private chamber

• Finnish: kamari (fi), koppi (fi)
• Greek: καμαράκι (el) (kamaráki) n

• Russian: чулан (ru) (čulán) m, каморка (ru) (kamórka) f
• Scottish Gaelic: seòmar-uaigneach (gd) m

toilet — see toilet

figurative sense

• Finnish: kaappi (fi)

Adjective

closet (not comparable)

1. Secret.
   • 1940, Walton Hall Smith, Liquor, the servant of man:

     I wonder if there is another in the world that could produce, among perfectly normal people, this strangest quirk in the agenda of liquordom, the closet drinker.

Derived terms

• closeted
• closet oneself
• come out of the closet
• earth closet
• in the closet
• skeleton in the closet
• water closet

See also

• come out
• out

Verb

closet (third-person singular simple present closets, present participle closeting, simple past and past participle closeted)

1. (transitive) To shut away for private discussion.

   The ambassador has been closeted with the prime minister all afternoon. We're all worried what will be announced when they exit.

2. (transitive) To put into a private place for a secret interview or interrogation.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Bancroft

     He was to call a new legislature, to closet its members.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Froude

     He had been closeted with De Quadra.

3. (transitive) To shut up in, or as in, a closet for concealment or confinement.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Cowper

     Bedlam's closeted and handcuffed charge.

Anagrams

• colets, telcos

---

Old French

Etymology

clos +‎ -et.

Noun

closet m (oblique plural closets, nominative singular closets, nominative plural closet)

1. small enclosed area, such as a field or a paddock

---

Romanian

Etymology

From English (water) closet.

Noun

closet n (plural closete)

1. toilet, latrine, bathroom

See also

• baie
• toaletă