Word of the Day

: July 9, 2015

garderobe

noun GAR-drohb

What It Means

1 : a wardrobe or its contents

2 : a private room : bedroom

3 : privy, toilet

garderobe in Context

On our tour of the castle, the guide made sure to point out the garderobe.

"Located in Langley-on-Tyne, Northumberland, the castle has the best-preserved medieval latrines, or garderobes, in Europe. Historians think it was a garrison because it has 12." - Sue Kovach Shuman, The Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey), April 30, 2006

Did You Know?

Garderobe entered the English language in the 15th century and continues in use to this day, though its frequency has diminished significantly since the 19th century. Originally, its primary duty was to provide English speakers with a word for a room or closet in which to store clothing. Later, by extension, it was used for private bedrooms and bathrooms. Today you are most likely to encounter the word in a description of an old castle, such as in our example sentences. Garder, the French word for "guard" on which garderobe is based, has also served English well by directly contributing to the formation of such words as award, guard, regard, and, yes, wardrobe.