<P> The term cupboard was originally used to describe an open - shelved side table for displaying dishware, more specifically plates, cups and saucers . These open cupboards typically had between one and three display tiers, and at the time, a drawer or multiple drawers fitted to them . The word cupboard gradually came to mean a closed piece of furniture . </P> <P> The word cupboard is also frequently used in British English to denote what North Americans would call a closet . </P> <P> An airing cupboard is a storage space, sometimes of walk - in dimensions, containing a water heater; either an immersion heater for hot running water or a boiler for central heating water . Shelves, usually slatted to allow for circulation of heat, are positioned above or around the heater to provide storage for clothing, typically linen and towelling . The purpose is to allow air to circulate around the stored fabrics to prevent damp forming . A shelf can also be used to fully remove traces of damp from dried clothing before it is put away in drawers and wardrobes . Other names include "boiler cupboard", or (in Ireland) "hot press". Airing cupboards are mostly built - in (see below). A drying cabinet is an electrical version . </P> <P> A built - in cupboard is a storage space that forms part of the design of the room and is not free - standing or moveable . It is not the same as a cabinet . </P>

Where does the word press for cupboard come from
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