Okay. How did you know I have the Oxford English Dictionary Online open in another tab?
Originally it was two words, "cup board":
1. A ‘board’ or table to place cups and other vessels, etc. on; a piece of furniture for the display of plate; a sideboard, buffet. (See also COURT-CUPBOARD.) Obs.
c1325 E.E. Allit. P. B. 1440 Couered mony a cup-borde with cloes ful quite. c1380 Antecrist in Todd 3 Treat. Wyclif 150 Loke Cristis copborde. ?a1400 Morte Arth. 206 The kyngez cope-borde was closed in silver.
By the 16th century the words had been run together, and it was often spelled 'cubberd' or 'cubbert' or similar. But in the 18th century, when the first dictionaries were printed and spelling was regularised, the more 'correct' etymological spelling 'cupboard' was promoted by scholars and pedants, and so it became established.
Oh, and in British English a 'bathroom' is definitely a room with a bath in it. It might also have a toilet, but if there's no bath, it's not called that.
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Date: 2010-04-21 10:49 pm (UTC)Originally it was two words, "cup board":
1. A ‘board’ or table to place cups and other vessels, etc. on; a piece of furniture for the display of plate; a sideboard, buffet. (See also COURT-CUPBOARD.) Obs.
c1325 E.E. Allit. P. B. 1440 Couered mony a cup-borde with cloes ful quite. c1380 Antecrist in Todd 3 Treat. Wyclif 150 Loke Cristis copborde. ?a1400 Morte Arth. 206 The kyngez cope-borde was closed in silver.
By the 16th century the words had been run together, and it was often spelled 'cubberd' or 'cubbert' or similar. But in the 18th century, when the first dictionaries were printed and spelling was regularised, the more 'correct' etymological spelling 'cupboard' was promoted by scholars and pedants, and so it became established.
Oh, and in British English a 'bathroom' is definitely a room with a bath in it. It might also have a toilet, but if there's no bath, it's not called that.