Adjacent Words

Coffer definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

COFFER, n.
1. A chest or trunk; and as a chest is customarily used for keeping money, hence,
2. A chest of money; a treasure.
3. In architecture, a square depression or sinking in each interval between the modillions of the Corinthian cornice, ordinarily filled with a rose, a pomegranate or other enrichment.
4. In fortification, a hollow lodgment across a dry moat, fRomans 6 to 7 feet deep and fRomans 16 to 18 broad; the upper part made of pieces of timber, raised two feet above the level of the moat; which little elevation has hurdles laden with earth for its covering, and serves as a parapet with embrasures. It is raised by the besieged to repulse besiegers when they endeavor to pass the ditch.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an ornamental sunken panel in a ceiling or dome [syn: coffer, caisson, lacuna]
2: a chest especially for storing valuables

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English coffre, from Anglo-French, ultimately from Latin cophinus basket, from Greek kophinos Date: 13th century 1. chest; especially strongbox 2. treasury, funds — usually used in plural 3. a recessed panel in a vault, ceiling, or soffit II. transitive verb Date: 14th century 1. to store or hoard up in a coffer 2. to form (as a ceiling) with recessed panels

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a box, esp. a large strongbox for valuables. 2 (in pl.) a treasury or store of funds. 3 a sunken panel in a ceiling etc. Phrases and idioms: coffer-dam a watertight enclosure pumped dry to permit work below the waterline on building bridges etc., or for repairing a ship. Derivatives: coffered adj. Etymology: ME f. OF coffre f. L cophinus f. Gk kophinos basket

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Coffer Cof"fer, v. t. 1. To put into a coffer. --Bacon. 2. (Mining.) To secure from leaking, as a shaft, by ramming clay behind the masonry or timbering. --Raymond. 3. To form with or in a coffer or coffers; to furnish with a coffer or coffers.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Coffer Cof"fer (?; 115), n. [OF. cofre, F. coffre, L. cophinus basket, fr. Gr. ?. Cf. Coffin, n.] 1. A casket, chest, or trunk; especially, one used for keeping money or other valuables. --Chaucer. In ivory coffers I have stuffed my crowns. --Shak. 2. Fig.: Treasure or funds; -- usually in the plural. He would discharge it without any burden to the queen's coffers, for honor sake. --Bacon. Hold, here is half my coffer. --Shak. 3. (Arch.) A panel deeply recessed in the ceiling of a vault, dome, or portico; a caisson. 4. (Fort.) A trench dug in the bottom of a dry moat, and extending across it, to enable the besieged to defend it by a raking fire. 5. The chamber of a canal lock; also, a caisson or a cofferdam. Coffer dam. (Engin.) See Cofferdam, in the Vocabulary. Coffer fish. (Zo["o]l.) See Cowfish.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(coffers) 1. A coffer is a large strong chest used for storing valuable objects such as money or gold and silver. (OLD-FASHIONED) N-COUNT 2. The coffers of an organization consist of the money that it has to spend, imagined as being collected together in one place. The proceeds from the lottery go towards sports and recreation, as well as swelling the coffers of the government... N-PLURAL: with supp, oft N of n, n N

Easton's Bible Dictionary

the receptacle or small box placed beside the ark by the Philistines, in which they deposited the golden mice and the emerods as their trespass-offering (1 Sam. 6:8, 11, 15).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kof'-er ('argaz): A small box such as that in which the Philistines placed their golden mice and other offerings in returning the Ark (1Sa 6:8,11,15).

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Chest, box, casket, trunk. 2. Money-chest, strong-box, safe. 3. (Arch.) Sunk panel, caisson, lacunar.

Moby Thesaurus

Fort Knox, bank, bundle away, bursary, cache, cash register, cashbox, chest, coin box, deposit, depository, exchequer, file, fisc, gold depository, hutch, lay away, lay down, lay in, lay in store, locker, lodge, money chest, pack away, penny bank, piggy bank, pork barrel, public crib, public till, public treasury, public trough, put away, reposit, repository, reservoir, safe, safe-deposit box, salt away, salt down, stash, store, store away, storehouse, stow, stow away, stow down, strong room, strongbox, subtreasury, till, treasure-house, treasury, vault, warehouse