n. 1. A buffet, sideboard, or bookcase, especially one without legs. 2. A piece of office furniture having a long flat top and usually file drawers. [Italian, from Medieval Latin crēdentia, trust (possibly from the practice of placing food and drink on a sideboard to be tasted by a servant before being served to ensure that it contained no poison); see CREDENCE.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.