cab·i·net   (kāb'ə-nĭt)    n.   An upright, cupboardlike repository with shelves, drawers, or compartments for the safekeeping or display of objects. Computer Science The box that houses the main components of a computer, such as the central processing unit, disk drives, and expansion slots. often Cabinet A body of persons appointed by a head of state or a prime minister to head the executive departments of the government and to act as official advisers. Archaic A small or private room set aside for a specific activity. Rhode Island & Southeastern Massachusetts See milk shake. See Regional Note at milk shake. adj.   Suitable for storage or display in a cabinet, as because of size or decorative quality. Of, relating to, or being a member of a governmental cabinet: cabinet matters; a cabinet minister. Used in the making of cabinets: teak and other heavy cabinet wood. [French, partly from diminutive of Old North French cabine, gambling-room (perhaps alteration of Old French cabane, small house; see cabin) and partly from Italian gabinetto, closet, chest of drawers; akin to Old North French cabine. N., sense 5, possibly from the square wooden container in which the mixer was encased.] cab'i·net·ful n.

Cabinet

Cab"i*net\ (k[a^]b"[i^]*n[e^]t), n. [F., dim. of cabine or cabane. See Cabin, n.]

1. A hut; a cottage; a small house. [Obs.]

Hearken a while from thy green cabinet, The rural song of careful Colinet. --Spenser.

2. A small room, or retired apartment; a closet.

3. A private room in which consultations are held.

Philip passed some hours every day in his father's cabinet. --Prescott.

4. The advisory council of the chief executive officer of a nation; a cabinet council.

Note: In England, the cabinet or cabinet council consists of those privy councilors who actually transact the immediate business of the government. --Mozley & W. -- In the United States, the cabinet is composed of the heads of the executive departments of the government, namely, the Secretary of State, of the Treasury, of War, of the Navy, of the Interior, and of Agiculture, the Postmaster-general, and the Attorney-general.

5. (a) A set of drawers or a cupboard intended to contain articles of value. Hence: (b) A decorative piece of furniture, whether open like an ['e]tag[`e]re or closed with doors. See ['E]tag[`e]re.

6. Any building or room set apart for the safe keeping and exhibition of works of art, etc.; also, the collection itself.

Cabinet council. (a) Same as Cabinet, n., 4 (of which body it was formerly the full title). (b) A meeting of the cabinet.

Cabinet councilor, a member of a cabinet council.

Cabinet photograph, a photograph of a size smaller than an imperial, though larger than a carte de visite.

Cabinet picture, a small and generally highly finished picture, suitable for a small room and for close inspection.

cabinet

A select group of officials who advise the head of government. In nations governed by parliaments, such as Britain, the members of the cabinet typically have seats in parliament. (Compare cabinet under “American Politics.”)

cabinet