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whatnot

 - 4 dictionary results

what⋅not

  [hwuht-not, hwot-, wuht-, wot-]
Use whatnot in a Sentence
–noun
1. a stand with shelves for bric-a-brac, books, etc.
2. something or anything of the same or similar kind: sheets, pillowcases, towels, napkins, and whatnot.
Origin:
1530–40; from the phrase what not?
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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what·not   (hwŏt'nŏt', hwŭt'-, wŏt'-, wŭt'-)   
n.  

  1. A minor or unspecified object or article.

  2. A set of light, open shelves for ornaments.

pron.  Any of various additional or unspecified things or items: "family differences, differing social origins, and whatnot" (George F. Kennan).
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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Word Origin & History

whatnot 
1540, "anything," from what + not. As the name of a furniture item, first attested 1808, so named for the objects it is meant to hold.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

whatnot

series of open shelves supported by two or four upright posts. The passion for collecting and displaying ornamental objects that began in the 18th century and was widespread in the 19th stimulated the production in England and the United States of this whimsically named piece of furniture. The French version was called the etagere. Some examples contain drawers at the base; others have three sides of the upper shelf surmounted with an ornamental board

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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