kitchen

1 of 2

noun (1)

kitch·​en ˈki-chən How to pronounce kitchen (audio)
plural kitchens
1
: a place (such as a room) with cooking facilities
a house with a large kitchen
often used before another noun
kitchen cabinets
the kitchen sink
a kitchen knife
see also everything but the kitchen sink
2
: the people who prepare, cook, and serve food especially in a restaurant, cafeteria, etc.
We ate so eagerly that the kitchen sent out a second round of tostadas.Brian Reinhart
3
: a style of cooking : cuisine
The following recipes illustrate the wide scope of the Indonesian kitchenCopeland Marks

kitchen

2 of 2

noun (2)

African American English
: the hair that grows at the nape of the neck and that can be especially kinky (see kinky sense 1)
I'm a Southern girl who was lucky enough to have a grandmother who was a beautician, and when Grandma Bessie styled our hair, the "edges" and "kitchen" were a top priority; they were just as important as the body of the hair. They had to be carefully pressed to assure the strands were just as straight and smooth as the rest of the hair.Chime Edwards
If there ever was one part of our African past that resisted assimilation, it was the kitchen. No matter how hot the iron, no matter how powerful the chemical, no matter how stringent the mashed-potatoes-and-lye formula of a man's "process," neither God nor woman nor Sammy Davis, Jr. could straighten the kitchen. The kitchen was permanent, irredeemable, invincible kink. Unassimilably African.Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Did you know?

Although a room where food is cooked is called a kitchen, the words cook and kitchen are so different that it is surprising to learn that they both come from the same source. Both words can be traced to the Latin verb coquere, meaning “to cook.” The connection between coquere and cook is easy to see, but kitchen has a more involved history. From the verb coquere came the later Latin noun coquina, meaning “a kitchen.” With some changes in pronunciation, coquina came into Old English as cycene. This became Middle English kichene and finally modern English kitchen.

Examples of kitchen in a Sentence

Noun (1) They want a house with a large kitchen.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Read on below: Sheet pans are kitchen workhorses with limitless possibilities The secret to 15-minute meals? Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 Following high school, Aprahamian attended Waukesha County Technical College for culinary management, then worked his way through various kitchens. Kristine M. Kierzek, Journal Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2024 Yearwood noted that plans could include sometimes filming her cooking show in the kitchen space. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024 In remarks delivered from her kitchen table at her house in Montgomery, Alabama, Britt denounced Mr. Biden's remarks in his third State of the Union, and lambasted the president for his policies on immigration, economics, crime and foreign policy. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2024 Just a shot of Britt, sitting alone, in an overwhelmingly beige kitchen with eerily barren countertops. Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Still, the actor’s dedication is clear, as seen in his on-screen cooking chops after studying in real kitchens for the role. Eric Farwell, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024 The high-quality silicone is a vibrant red color, which adds a pop of flair to any kitchen aesthetic. Michelle Love, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Mar. 2024 What, nobody saw the dead roach next to the front counter reach-in cooler or the one in the kitchen light shield? David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kitchen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English kichene, from Old English cycene, from Late Latin coquina, from Latin coquere to cook — more at cook

Noun (2)

perhaps a figurative use of kitchen entry 1, though the basis for such a comparison is uncertain

Note: Alternatively, a relation with Scots kinch "twist or doubling in a rope" (thus Scottish National Dictionary) has been proposed, though a Scots source would only be probable if the word were attested much earlier.

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1964, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kitchen was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near kitchen

Cite this Entry

“Kitchen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kitchen. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

kitchen

noun
kitch·​en ˈkich-ən How to pronounce kitchen (audio)
: a place (as a room) in which cooking is done
Etymology

Noun

Middle English kichene "kitchen," from Old English cycene (same meaning), from Latin coquina "a place where food is cooked," from earlier coquere "to cook" — related to cook

Word Origin
Although a room where food is cooked is called a kitchen, the words cook and kitchen are so different that it is surprising to learn that they both come from the same source. Both words can be traced to the Latin verb coquere, meaning "to cook." The connection between coquere and cook is easy to see, but kitchen has a more involved history. From the verb coquere came the later Latin noun coquina, meaning "a kitchen." With some changes in pronunciation, coquina came into Old English as cycene. Further changes over the course of many years gave us kichene and finally the Modern English kitchen.

More from Merriam-Webster on kitchen

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