Forms: 4–6 cup-, cop-, (5 cuppe-, 5–6 cope-, 6 coup-), -bord(e, -bourd(e, -burd(e; 6–7 cupboord, -boarde, 7– -board. Also 5 cowborde, 6 couborde, cowbard, cobord, -erde, cobbourd, -arde, cuppord(e, cubboorde, 6–7 cubbord(e, -ard(e, 7 -erd, -ert, 7–8 -oard, 7 cupbard, -bert. [A combination of CUP or COP (or both) and BOARD. In ME. cop- is frequent in northern sources, cuppe- and coup- rare, cup- most frequent, even at a time when the independent word was regularly spelt cuppe. By the 16th c. the second element was phonetically obscured, and the p of cup- sunk in the following b, as in the existing pronunciation, which is indicated by a multitude of more or less phonetical spellings of the cubberd, cubbert type, often crossed by etymological reminiscences. Since the 18th c. the analytical spelling has prevailed.]
† 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.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., B. 1440. Couered mony a cup-borde with cloþes ful quite.
c. 1380. Antecrist, in Todd, 3 Treat. Wyclif, 150. Loke Cristis copborde.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 206. The kyngez cope-borde was closed in silver.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 109. Cupburde, abacus.
1483. Cath. Angl., 75. A Copburde, abacus.
1503. Will, in Ripon Ch. Acts, 296. Unum copeburd sculptum.
1530. Palsgr., 211/2. Cup borde of plate or to sette plate upon, buffet.
1555. Eden, Decades, 68. The cobbarde bysyde owr dyninge table.
1591. Harington, Orl. Fur., XXV. xlix. (1634), 201. One onely lampe upon the cubbard burning.
1592. Greene, Def. Conny Catch., III. 10. Her mistress … set all her plate on the cubboorde for shewe.
1663. Gerbier, Counsel, 30. A Candlestick on a Cubbert.
1708. Motteux, Rabelais, IV. lxiv. The Officers … got ready the Tables and Cupboards, laid the Cloth.
† b. transf. A set of vessels displayed upon a sideboard; a service of plate. Obs.
1522. Skelton, Why not to Court, 898. Your cupbord that was, Is tourned to glasse, From sylvere to brasse.
1551. Acts Privy Council Eng. (1891), N. S. III. 288. An other like couborde of the value of mlli; an other cubborde of viijcli.
1579–80. North, Plutarch (1676), 219. All the whole cubboord of Plate of Gold and Silver.
c. 1645. Howell, Lett. (1650), II. 40. She desires you to send her a compleat cupboard of the best christall glasses.
1698. Sir T. Morgan, Progr., in Select. Harl. Misc. (1793), 391. His majesty of France had never the kindness to send him his cupboard of plate.
2. A closet or a cabinet (often placed in a corner of a room or a recess in the wall) with shelves, for keeping cups, dishes, etc., provisions ready for use, or anything which it is desired to keep safely, as books or valuables.
1530. Palsgr., 211/2. Cupborde to putte meate in, dressover.
1579. Tomson, Calvin’s Serm. Tim., 104/2. If he haue a cofer, or cupbord, there wil he keep it [money] fast locked.
1627. Capt. Smith, Seaman’s Gram., ii. 12. Lockers to put any thing in, as in little Cupberts.
1662. Greenhalgh, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., II. 309, IV. 13. At the east end of the Synagogue standeth a closet, like a very high cupboard, which they call the Ark.
1736. Swift’s Lett. (1766), II. 243. If a friend happen to come late, [he] will take care to lock up a scrap for him in the cupboard.
1851. Illust. Lond. News, 8 Feb., 98. The cupboard was breadless.
1874. Micklethwaite, Mod. Par. Churches, 161. A cupboard with shelves for music-books.
b. Skeleton in the cupboard: see SKELETON.
3. transf. Food, provisions; esp. in phr. to cry cupboard, to crave for food, feel hungry. ? Obs.
c. 1665. Roxb. Ball., VI. 529. And all for the love of the cubbard.
1681. W. Robertson, Phraseol. Gen. (1693), 412. My belly cries cupboard.
1768–74. Tucker, Lt. Nat. (1852), I. 60. Should his head ache, or his stomach cry cupboard.
1855. Kingsley, Westw. Ho! I. iii. 102. So now away home; my inside cries cupboard.
4. attrib. and Comb. a. Pertaining or relating to a cupboard, as (in sense 1) † cupboard banker (see BANKER1), † cupboard cloth; (in sense 2), cupboard door; cupboard love, love insincerely professed or displayed for the sake of what one can get by it (cf. sense 3, quot. 1665); so cupboard lover, faith; † cupboard-man, one of an order of disputants in the Inns of Court: so called from their using the cupboard in the hall as a tribune (Douthwaite, Gray’s Inn (1886), 81, note). b. Of the form or nature of a cupboard, as cupboard library.
1463. Bury Wills (1850), 25. With tablys, trestelys, *cuppeburd bankers.
1480. Wardr. Acc. Edw. IV. (1830), 124. iij rede *cupborde clothes of rede worsted.
1640. Vestry Bks. (Surtees), 303. For mendinge the *cubert doore in the vesterre.
1862. Ruskin, Munera P. (1880), 64. That the cupboard door may have a firm lock to it.
1882. ‘Edna Lyall,’ Donovan, x. No *cupboard faith for him.
1845. R. W. Hamilton, Pop. Educ., v. (ed. 2), 102. In his little *cupboard library.
1757. Poor Robin (N.). A *cupboard love is seldom true.
1874. Dasent, Tales from Fjeld, 184. To have such a *cupboard lover.
c. 1625. Whitelocke, Lib. Fam. (Camden), 62. In August 1618 being on of the *cubberdmen of the Middle Temple, I went up to argue at the reading.
1660. Vind. of Reading of E. Bagshaw held in Middle Temple, 16. My Obligations … to my Cubbardmen, to the Gentlemen of the Bar and under.
