Meanings
plural escritoires · alternative obsolete scrutoire · alternative obsolete scrutore
- A writing desk with a hinged door that provides the writing surface.
Rosemary sat at her Public Works Department escritoire, in a sea of fed cats, and tried to write a letter to Vythilingam.
1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 5612 more examples
To surprise him, by finding on his table the books he liked, or the escritoire he had occasion for, gave Louisa the most delightful moments life had hitherto afforded her;...
1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “(please specify the page)”, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, pages 199–200Fine promenades, domed saloons, long galleries, sunny balconies, confidential passages, bridal chambers, state-rooms plenty as pigeon-holes, and out-of-the-way retreats like secret drawers in an escritoire, present like facilities for publicity or privacy.
1857 April 1, Herman Melville, chapter II, in The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade, New York, N.Y.: Dix, Edwards & Co., […], →OCLCSynonyms: bureau, secretary, secretary desk
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA writing desk with a hinged door that provides the writing surface.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchescritoire
- Englishescritoire
From French escritoire, from escrire (“to write”) (obsolete forms of écritoire and écrire, respectively) + -oire (“a tool or object”). Doublet of scriptorium.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Czech sekretář
- sekretářA writing desk with a hinged door
German ausklappbarer Schreibsekretär
- ausklappbarer SchreibsekretärA writing desk with a hinged door
Hebrew מִכְתָּבָה
- מִכְתָּבָה (michtavá)A writing desk with a hinged door
Hungarian szekreter
- szekreterA writing desk with a hinged door
Icelandic skatthol, skrifborð
- skattholA writing desk with a hinged door
- skrifborðA writing desk with a hinged door
Italian scrittoio
- scrittoioA writing desk with a hinged door
Polish sekretera
- sekreteraA writing desk with a hinged door
Spanish escritorio, escribanía
- escritorioA writing desk with a hinged door
- escribaníaA writing desk with a hinged door
Swedish sekretär
- sekretärA writing desk with a hinged door
Turkish yazı masası, yazıhane
- yazı masasıA writing desk with a hinged door
- yazıhaneA writing desk with a hinged door
- yazakA writing desk with a hinged door
Cite this entry
escritoire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/escritoire
“escritoire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/escritoire. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “escritoire,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/escritoire.
Source: escritoire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.