kitchen

[ kich-uhn ]

noun

1. a room or place equipped for cooking:

   The apartment has a full kitchen with an oven and dishwasher.

2. the staff involved in food preparation in a restaurant or eatery:

   He called the kitchen to make sure they could accommodate his allergies.

3. culinary department; cuisine:

   This restaurant has a fine Italian kitchen.

4. the equipment and fixtures needed to make a room suitable for cooking:

   We bought a kitchen, but it still needs to be installed.

5. Sports. (on a pickleball court) a seven-foot zone on either side of the net from which players are prohibited from returning the ball before it hits the ground.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designed for use in a room equipped for cooking:

   There's a view of the yard from the kitchen window.

   We got a new, more colorful set of kitchen curtains.

2. employed in or assigned to a place or business that makes food:

   Kitchen staff and volunteers worked together to feed over 500 food-insecure people.

kitchen

/ ˈkɪtʃɪn /

noun

1. 1. a room or part of a building equipped for preparing and cooking food
   2. ( as modifier )

      a kitchen table

Other Word Forms

• kitch·en·less adjective
• kitch·en·y adjective
• out·kitch·en noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of kitchen¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English kichene, Old English cycene ≪ Latin coquīna, equivalent to coqu(ere) “to cook” + -īna -ine ¹; cuisine

Word History and Origins

Origin of kitchen¹

Old English cycene, ultimately from Late Latin coquīna, from Latin coquere to cook ; see kiln

Idioms and Phrases

see everything but the kitchen sink ; if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen .

Example Sentences

The effects of this trade war will likely be felt in kitchens and living rooms across America, who will now have to buy these goods at higher prices.

From BBC

Editor Rachel Johnson was a firm believer in not being too familiar with staff, writing: "Never sit in the kitchen chatting to your nanny, it'll end in tears before bedtime."

From BBC

You launched the Edibles Club out of your Echo Park kitchen in 2020 — the same year you started this book project.

From Los Angeles Times

I gave him outlines like a stainless steel kitchen or white apartment.

From Salon

Since the letter was sent to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood on Monday, inmates of separation centres have been barred from using kitchens.

From BBC

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