credenza

noun

cre·​den·​za kri-ˈden-zə 

1

: credence sense 3

2

: a sideboard, buffet, or bookcase patterned after a Renaissance credence

especially : one without legs

Illustration of credenza

• credenza 2

Did you know?

In Italian credenza means “belief” or “confidence,” and confidence is just what a member of a noble or royal household needed before eating in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Being poisoned by one’s enemies was an ever-present danger. As a result, it was customary for members of royal or noble families to have a servant taste their food and drink after it left the kitchen and before it was served. The tasting was done at a dining room sideboard, and the name of the sideboard became credenza in Italian.

Examples of credenza in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The kitchen, the center of life in the apartment, is in a rustic red that complements the large custom table and the Alicante marble credenza. —Nicolas Milon, Architectural Digest, 21 Jan. 2025

And furniture seems to float off the walls, such as a hovering credenza in the dining room and modular shelving hung on slim metal bars. —Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 10 Jan. 2025

Flower petals had fallen onto the credenza and her daughter took cleaning to the next level. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025

To take this approach, mix decor from both holidays on a credenza or sideboard in your dining room. —Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian, literally, belief, confidence, from Medieval Latin credentia

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1