Furnished

How to spell furnished

9 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce furnished

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does furnished mean?

1. adjectiveSupplied with furniture and the usual fittings, ready to live in.
2. verbPast tense of furnish: provided or supplied something that was needed.

Furnished in a sentence

• adjective

  The agency only had furnished flats available near the station.

• verb

  The landlord furnished the cottage with simple wooden pieces.

• adjective

  A fully furnished apartment costs more per month but saves on moving.

• verb

  The accountant furnished every receipt the auditor requested.

Where does furnished come from?

Language of origin: French

This word grows from the verb 'furnish', which English borrowed in the late 1300s from the Old French furnir or fournir, meaning 'to accomplish, complete, or provide'. That French verb was itself of Germanic origin, linked to the same root that gave the modern word 'frame', carrying the idea of bringing something to fullness or putting it in order. In English the sense narrowed over time toward supplying a place with the equipment, fittings, and especially the moveable furniture it needed. The noun 'furniture' shares exactly this ancestry, which is why both words store the same fur-nish core. The spelling stays regular: take the verb 'furnish' and simply add -ed, so the trap is mostly remembering the single 'r' and the 'sh' before the ending.

How the word is built

• furnish (from Old French furnir: to provide, equip)
• -ed (past tense / participle suffix)