A bahut is a portable chest, with a rounded lid covered in leather, garnished with nails, once used for the transport of clothes or other personal luggage, it was, in short, the original

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words Towards the end of the 17th century the name fell into disuse, and was replaced by ''coffer'', which probably accounts for its misuse by the French romantic writers of the early 19th century. They applied it to almost any antique sideboard,

cupboard A cupboard is a piece of furniture for enclosing dishware or grocery items that are stored in a home. The term gradually evolved from its original meaning: an open-shelved side table for displaying dishware, more specifically plates, cups and sa ...

or wardrobe, and its use became hopelessly confused. In architecture, this term is also used for a dwarf-wall of plain masonry, carrying the roof of a cathedral or church and masked or hidden behind the balustrade. According to the ''Shorter Oxford Dictionary'' (3rd edition revised) "bahut" also means "a dress for masquerading".

References

{{EB1911 article with no significant updates Chests (furniture) Luggage