dumbwaiter

[ duhm-wey-ter ]
/ ˈdʌmˌweɪ tər /

noun

a small elevator, manually or electrically operated, consisting typically of a box with shelves, used in apartment houses, restaurants, and large private dwellings for moving dishes, food, garbage, etc., between floors.
British.
  1. an auxiliary serving table.
  2. a serving stand with tiers of revolving shelves.
  3. a serving cart.

Origin of dumbwaiter

First recorded in 1745–55; dumb + waiter

Example sentences from the Web for dumbwaiter

British Dictionary definitions for dumbwaiter

dumbwaiter
/ (ˈdʌmˌweɪtə) /

noun

British
  1. a stand placed near a dining table to hold food
  2. a revolving circular tray placed on a table to hold foodUS and Canadian name: lazy Susan
a lift for carrying food, rubbish, etc, between floors