Furnishings

How to spell furnishings

11 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce furnishings

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does furnishings mean?

1. nounThe furniture, fittings, and decorative items that equip a room or building.

Furnishings in a sentence

• The rental flat came with basic furnishings already in place.

• Soft furnishings such as curtains and cushions warmed up the bare office.

Where does furnishings come from?

Language of origin: French

This word grows from the verb 'furnish', which English borrowed in the late 1300s from Old French 'furnir' or 'fournir', meaning 'to provide, supply, or accomplish'. That French verb traces back to a Germanic root related to 'frumjan', 'to carry out or complete', so the earliest idea was simply getting something finished or fully equipped. Over time the sense narrowed to fitting out a room or building with what it needs, and from there the noun 'furniture' and the plural 'furnishings' developed to name the movable equipment itself. The 'sh' in the modern English spelling reflects how the Old French 'fournir' was reshaped on English tongues, and the doubled idea of 'furnish' plus the noun ending '-ings' is the part writers must keep clear. It shares its deep ancestry with 'furniture', which is the useful clue: both describe the things that make a space ready to use.

How the word is built

• furnish (from Old French furnir/fournir: to provide, supply)
• -ing (noun-forming suffix)
• -s (plural)