scullery
pronunciation
How to pronounce scullery in British English:
UK [ˈskʌləri]
How to pronounce scullery in American English:
US [ˈskʌləri]
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- Noun:
- a small room (in large old British houses) next to the kitchen; where kitchen utensils are cleaned and kept and other rough household jobs are done
Word Origin
- scullery
- scullery: [15] A scullery is etymologically a place where ‘dishes’ are handled. For it goes back ultimately to Latin scutra ‘wooden dish’. Its diminutive form scutella was used for a sort of square tray or stand for plates, glasses, vases, etc. Association with scūtum ‘shield’ led to this being changed in Vulgar Latin to *scūtella, which passed into Old French as escuele ‘dish’. Its derivative escuelerie ‘place where dishes, plates, and other kitchen utensils are kept, cleaned, etc’ passed into English via Anglo- Norman squillerie as scullery. Also descended from scutella are English scuttle and skillet.
- scullery (n.)
- mid-15c. (early 14c. as a surname), "household department concerned with the care of kitchen utensils," from Old French escuelerie "office of the servant in charge of plates, etc.," from escuelier "keeper of the dishes," from escuele "dish" (12c., Modern French écuelle), from Latin scutella "serving platter, silver" (see scuttle (n.)).
Example
- 1. May fair scullery beauty china launched three major initiatives pragmatic .
- 2. He 's marrying the scullery maid ?
- 3. Antigone retorts that had she been a scullery maid she would have done the same .
- 4. " Sweet of you , " she replied , and she smiled as she left the scullery .
- 5. She saved what little money she could working as a scullery maid and used it one evening to hear a great speaker of her day .