A large, tall cupboard in which clothes may be hung or stored; a person's entire collection of clothes.
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Old French14th centurywell-attested
From OldNorthFrench 'warderobe' (a room or chest for storing clothes), a compound of 'warder' (to guard, to keep safe, to watch over) and 'robe' (garment, long gown). 'Warder' derives from Frankish *wardon (to guard, to look after), from Proto-Germanic *wardona (to guard, to watch), from PIE *wer- (to cover, to protect, to defend). Thesame PIE root gave Old English
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A 'wardrobe' guards robes. A 'garderobe' is the French equivalent — and in medieval castles, a 'garderobe' was also a euphemism for the toilet (a small room where you went to relieve yourself, supposedly because the ammonia fumes kept moths out of your stored clothes). The wardrobe and the bathroom share a word because medieval people stored clothes near toilets for pest control.
taken in medieval warfare — from Frankish *rauba (booty, plunder), related to the verb 'to rob.' A wardrobe was therefore literally 'a guard-robe' — a secured
guard. In medieval noble households, the wardrobe was an important administrative department managing the lord's personal effects and finances. Over time the function narrowed from a secure room to the piece of furniture we recognise today. C.S. Lewis's use of a wardrobe as the portal to Narnia plays on its associations with enclosure, mystery, and stored treasure. Key roots: *wer- (Proto-Indo-European: "to cover, to protect, to guard"), robe (Old French: "garment, plunder, spoils").