escritoire

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word escritoire. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word escritoire, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say escritoire in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word escritoire you have here. The definition of the word escritoire will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofescritoire, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
An escritoire

Alternative forms

Etymology

From French, from escrire, obsolete form of écrire + -oire, indicating a tool or object. Doublet of scriptorium.

Pronunciation

Noun

escritoire (plural escritoires)

  1. A writing desk with a hinged door that provides the writing surface.
    • 1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “(please specify the page)”, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. , volume I, London: Henry Colburn, , published 1842, →OCLC, pages 199–200:
      To surprise him, by finding on his table the books he liked, or the escritoire he had occasion for, gave Louisa the most delightful moments life had hitherto afforded her;...
    • 1857, Herman Melville, chapter II, in The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade:
      Fine promenades, domed saloons, long galleries, sunny balconies, confidential passages, bridal chambers, state-rooms plenty as pigeon-holes, and out-of-the-way retreats like secret drawers in an escritoire, present like facilities for publicity or privacy.
    • 1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 561:
      Rosemary sat at her Public Works Department escritoire, in a sea of fed cats, and tried to write a letter to Vythilingam.

Synonyms

Translations