Learn English – What’s the difference between “cabinet” and “cupboard”
vocabularyword-choice
What's the difference between "cabinet" and "cupboard"?
Best Answer
A cupboard is a closed piece of furniture with one or more doors and possibly shelves. A cabinet is more like a closet, and might be built into a wall or a separate piece of furniture. Cabinets are typically considered general-purpose storage, while cupboards are more for food and dishes. The two are somewhat interchangeable, and you might say that a cupboard is a type of cabinet.
I would say it's the difference between being being bitten by hundreds of ants (harrowing) and being stung by a scorpion (poignant). Compare the etymology of the two words:
harrow (n.) "agricultural implement,
heavy wooden rake," c.1300, haru, from
O.E. *hearwa, apparently related to
O.N. harfr "harrow," and perhaps
connected with O.H.G. herbist
"harvest" (see harvest). Also possibly
from hergian (see harry).
harrow (v.) especially in harrowing of Hell in
Christian theology, from hergian (see
harry). In the figurative sense of "to
wound the feelings, distress greatly"
it is first attested c.1600 in
Shakespeare. Related: Harrowed;
harrowing.
So "harrowing" carries connotations of being more long-term, part of an ordeal, or how you might feel after being worked over by a rake (or a swarm of ants).
poignant late 14c., "painful to physical or mental feeling," from O.Fr. poignant (13c.), prp. of poindre "to prick, sting," from L. pungere "to prick" (see pungent). Related: Poignance; poignancy.
And "poignant" is sharper, more acute, possibly deeper. It's the feeling of sudden loss or unexpected injury (like a scorpion sting).
The difference is largely one of connotation. The verb to shroud derives from the noun shroud, which typically refers to a sheet used to cover the dead for burial in some religious traditions. Because of this association, when you say that something is shrouded with or shrouded in, it connotes an atmosphere of mystery, gloom, or the numinous.
Shrouded in also lends itself more readily to metaphorical usages. You might say that "The castle was shrouded in mist", but it would sound odd to say that "The castle was covered in mist".
Best Answer
A cupboard is a closed piece of furniture with one or more doors and possibly shelves. A cabinet is more like a closet, and might be built into a wall or a separate piece of furniture. Cabinets are typically considered general-purpose storage, while cupboards are more for food and dishes. The two are somewhat interchangeable, and you might say that a cupboard is a type of cabinet.