Dictionary

furnish en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈfɜːnɪʃ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• /ˈfɝnɪʃ/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English furnysshen, from Old French furniss-, stem of certain parts of furnir, fornir (Modern French fournir), from Germanic, from Frankish *frumjan (“to complete, execute”), from Proto-Germanic *frumjaną (“to further, promote”), from Proto-Indo-European *promo- (“front, forward”). Cognate with Old High German frumjan (“to perform, provide”), Old High German fruma (“utility, gain”), Old English fremu (“profit, advantage”), Old English fremian (“to promote, perform”). More at frame, frim.

Meanings

1. Material used to create an engineered product.
   • The resin-coated furnish is evenly spread inside the form and another metal plate is placed on top. 2003, Martin E. Rogers, Timothy E. Long, “Synthetic Methods in Step-growth Polymers”, in IEEE, Wiley, page 257:

Forms

furnish en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈfɜːnɪʃ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• /ˈfɝnɪʃ/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English furnysshen, from Old French furniss-, stem of certain parts of furnir, fornir (Modern French fournir), from Germanic, from Frankish *frumjan (“to complete, execute”), from Proto-Germanic *frumjaną (“to further, promote”), from Proto-Indo-European *promo- (“front, forward”). Cognate with Old High German frumjan (“to perform, provide”), Old High German fruma (“utility, gain”), Old English fremu (“profit, advantage”), Old English fremian (“to promote, perform”). More at frame, frim.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To provide a place with furniture, or other equipment.
   • Then his sallow face brightened, for the hall had been carefully furnished, and was very clean. ¶ There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls. 1913, Mrs. [Marie] Belloc Lowndes, chapter II, in The Lodger, London: Methuen, →OCLC; republished in Novels of Mystery: The Lodger; The Story of Ivy; What Really Happened, New York, N.Y.: Longmans, Green and Co., […], [1933], →OCLC, page 17:
   • The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on a certain afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house. 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 58:
2. (figuratively, transitive) To supply or give (something).
   • But his writings and his life furnish abundant proofs that he was not a man of strong sense. 1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter IV, in The History of England from the Accession of James II, volume I, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, page 507:
   • [H]e took his seat at the bottom of the table, by her ladyship's desire, and looked as if he felt that life could furnish nothing greater. 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], chapter VI, in Pride and Prejudice: […], volume II, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 67:
   • […] Miniſters are ſo wiſe to leave their Proceedings to be accounted for by Reaſoners at a Diſtance, who often mould them into Syſtems, that do not only go down very well in the Coffee-Houſe, but are Supplies for Pamphlets in the preſent Age, and may probably furniſh Materials for Memoirs and Hiſtories in the next. 1714 (date written), [Jonathan Swift], Some Free Thoughts upon the Present State of Affairs. […], Dublin; London: […] T. Cooper, […], published 1741, →OCLC, page 3:
3. (figuratively, transitive) To supply (somebody) with something.
   • For, that the ordure, which continually gathers on the skin, would ſoon ſtop the pores of it, if the ſweat were not furniſht with ſome efficacious diſſolvent to open and pierce them. 1669 August 25, “[An Accompt of Some Books.] III. Ottonis Tachenii Hippocrates Chymicus. Venetiis in 12º.”, in Philosophical Transactions: Giving Some Accompt of the Present Undertakings, Studies and Labours of the Ingenious in Many Considerable Parts of the World, volume IV, number 50, London: Printed by T. N. for John Martyn […] , printer to the Royal Society, published 1670, →OCLC, pages 1019–1020:
   • I was every day furniſhing the Court with ſome ridiculous Story; and Glumdalclitch, although ſhe loved me to Exceſs, yet was arch enough to inform the Queen, whenever I committed any Folly that ſhe thought would be diverting to her Majeſty. 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “Several Adventures that Happened to the Author. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part II (A Voyage to Brobdingnag), page 247:
   • The street outside my window furnishes meager entertainment.
   • […] Mrs. Irons rebelled in her bed, and refused peremptorily to get up again, to furnish the musical topers with rum and lemons, […] 1863, J[oseph] Sheridan Le Fanu, “Narrating how Lieutenant Puddock and Captain Devereux Brewed a Bowl of Punch, and how They Sang and Discoursed Together”, in The House by the Church-yard. […], volume I, London: Tinsley, Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 304:

Forms

Deriveds

new-furnish · underfurnish · overfurnish · furnish and supply · furnishable · furnisher · disfurnish · refurnish · furnish out · furnishment · unfurnish

Relateds

furniture

Translations (85)

pt fornecer (to supply) · eo mebligi (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · nl bemeubelen (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · la ornō (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · pl zaopatrzyć (to supply) · sv förse (to supply) · uk меблюва́ти (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · bg снабдявам (to supply) · es mueblar (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · uk обставити меблями (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · ja 備え付ける (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · ru предоставля́ть (to supply) · sv tillhandahålla (to supply) · ru снабжа́ть (to supply) · es abastecer (to supply) · ko 비치하다 (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · pl umeblować (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · nl meubileren (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · ja 供給する (to supply) · ko 공급하다 (to supply) · fi varustaa (to supply) · da udstyre (to supply) · cmn 提供 (to supply) · pt mobiliar (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · ru снабди́ть (to supply) · he צִיֵּד (to supply) · hu bebútoroz (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · pl zaopatrywać (to supply) · nl meubelen (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · ru мебли́ровать (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · nrf meublier (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · mi whakarawe (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · mk на́мести (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · cs vybavit nábytkem (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · mk сна́бди (to supply) · es fornecer (to supply) · es amueblar (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · af verskaf (to supply) · fi toimittaa (to supply) · fr meubler (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · ota دوشهمك (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · grc παρέχω (to supply) · mk у́реди (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · bg обзавеждам (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · ro mobila (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · pl meblować (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · ru предоста́вить (to supply) · pl dostarczyć (to supply) · fi kalustaa (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · no innrede (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · de möblieren (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · es amoblar (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · vi cung cấp (to supply) · de ausrüsten (to supply) · de einrichten (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · ar أْثَث (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · pl dostarczać (to supply) · io moblizar (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · es alhajar (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · ca fornir (to supply) · mk мебели́ра (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · sv inreda (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · sv möblera (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · mk о́преми (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · uk обмеблюва́ти (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · kw takla (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · pt mobilar (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · arz فرش (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · es fornir (to supply) · fi varustaa (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · hu berendez (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · no møblere (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · fi sisustaa (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · da møblere (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · uk обставляти меблями (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · fr fournir (to supply) · da forsyne (to supply) · fr livrer (to supply) · fr garnir (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · hu ellát (to supply) · he רִהֵט (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · bg мебелирам (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · grc ἐκπορίζω (to supply) · gl amoblar (to provide with furniture or other equipment) · it fornire (to supply)