What does credenza mean?
A credenza is a low, long piece of furniture resembling a sideboard, typically fitted with sliding doors and sometimes drawers, used to store and display dishes, glassware, linens, and decorative objects. Traditionally found in dining rooms, where it serves as a convenient surface for setting out food and drink during meals, the credenza has also become a staple of modern office design, where it usually sits against a wall behind or beside a desk to hold files, equipment, and personal effects. The term entered English from Italian in the nineteenth century and ultimately derives from the Latin credere, 'to believe,' reflecting its Renaissance-era role as the table on which food was tasted to reassure diners it was safe. Today the word suggests clean lines and contemporary taste, and designers often favor it over the older term 'sideboard.'
nounA low sideboard or cupboard, typically with sliding doors and often long drawers, used for storing dishes, glassware, and serving items; in modern usage it also refers to a similar long, low cabinet placed against an office wall.
- A low sideboard or buffet-style cabinet with doors and sometimes drawers, used in a dining room for storing and serving dishes, glassware, and linens.
- A long, low storage cabinet placed against a wall, especially behind or beside a desk in an office setting.
"The caterers arranged the wine glasses along the polished walnut credenza."
"She displayed her collection of ceramics on the dining room credenza."
"Behind the executive's desk stood a sleek credenza holding files and framed photographs."
Standard English plural formed by adding -s; no alternative plural form exists.
"The showroom displayed several credenzas in oak, walnut, and lacquered black."
The credenza gets its name from the Italian verb credere — 'to believe' — because in Renaissance courts food and drink were set on this table to be tasted by servants, proving to wary nobles that it wasn't poisoned.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of credenza
The word credenza was borrowed from Italian in the nineteenth century. It derives from the Italian noun credenza, which originally referred to the act of tasting or testing food and drink — a practice in noble households meant to demonstrate that nothing had been poisoned. This sense traces back to Medieval Latin credentia, meaning belief or trust, from the Latin verb credere, 'to believe.' The same root gives English such words as credible, credentials, and credit, as well as the related term credence, once used for a small side table in a church.
Related word forms
How credenza is actually used
The word carries connotations of mid-century modern and contemporary interior design, where 'credenza' is preferred over the more traditional 'sideboard.' In office contexts, it denotes a matching low cabinet that complements a desk. The plural is simply 'credenzas.'
Easily confused with credenza
A credenza is a piece of furniture (a sideboard), while 'credence' is an abstract noun meaning belief or acceptance of something as true.