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escritoire - 5 dictionary results

es⋅cri⋅toire

  [es-kri-twahr]
Use escritoire in a Sentence
–noun
writing desk (def. 1).
Origin:
1605–15; < F, MF < L scrīptōrium. See scribe 1 , -tory 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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es·cri·toire   (ěs'krĭ-twär')   
n.  
  1. A writing table; a desk.
  2. A desk with a top section for books.

[Obsolete French, from Old French escriptoire, study, from Medieval Latin scrīptōrium; see scriptorium.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Escritoire

Es`cri*toire"\, n. [OF. escritoire, F. ['e]critoire, LL. scriptorium, fr. L. scriptorius belonging to writing, fr. sribere to write. See Script, and cf. Scrutoire.] A piece of furniture used as a writing table, commonly with drawers, pigeonholes, and the like; a secretary or writing desk.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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escritoire 
1706, from Fr., from L.L. scriptorium "place for writing," from L. scriptus, pp. of scribere "to write" (see script).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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escritoire

a writing desk fitted with drawers, one of which can be pulled out and the front lowered to provide a flat writing surface. There are many variations to this basic design. Early versions, which appeared in France in the first half of the 18th century, were made in one piece divided into two sections. The lower section consisted of a cupboard compartment closed in by solid or sliding doors that sometimes concealed a set of drawers; in some cases, however, the drawers were open to view. The upper section included a drop front that, when lowered, provided the writing surface and revealed an inner section fitted with various receptacles (such as pigeonholes, drawers, and recesses) for ink, paper, documents, and the like. Although this type persisted, a number of variations occurred, such as the addition of mirror doors above the upper, drop-front section and, later, the insertion of a space in the lower part of the secretary to accommodate the knees of the writer, the drawers being divided into two sections on either side of the arched recess.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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