Ambry
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A bookcase; a library or archive. historical, rare
"Whanne Bors had told hym of the aduentures of the Sancgreal suche as had befalle hym / and his thre felawes that was launcelot / Percyual / Galahad / & hym self There Launcelot told the aduentures of the Sancgreal / that he had sene / Alle this was made in grete bookes / and put vp in almeryes at Salysbury"
- 2 A storehouse, especially a niche or recess in a wall used for storage. obsolete
"In the closets or almeries on each side of the Frater-house door in the Cloisters, Towels were kept white and clean to dry their Hands upon."
- 3 A pantry, or place to store food. archaic
"Used by a wholesaler or retailer as a wine cabinet, the ambry cupboard suited the needs of a neighborhood inn or small-scale private kitchen."
- 4 A cupboard or storage area in a church to hold books, communion vessels, vestments, etc.; an armarium.
"At the end of the bench adjoining to the Frater-house door, was a fine almery fixed to the wall, and another on the other side of the door[…]."
Example
More examples"Whanne Bors had told hym of the aduentures of the Sancgreal suche as had befalle hym / and his thre felawes that was launcelot / Percyual / Galahad / & hym self There Launcelot told the aduentures of the Sancgreal / that he had sene / Alle this was made in grete bookes / and put vp in almeryes at Salysbury"
Etymology
From Middle English almerie, from Anglo-Norman almarie, aumer, etc., from Old French almarie, from Latin armārium. Doublet of armarium, armoire, and almirah.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.