A bahut is a portable

chest The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the crea ...

, 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 A sideboard, also called a buffet, is an item of furniture traditionally used in the dining room for serving food, for displaying serving dishes, and for storage. It usually consists of a set of cabinets, or cupboards, and one or more drawers ...

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 ...

wardrobe A wardrobe or armoire or almirah is a standing closet used for storing clothes. The earliest wardrobe was a chest, and it was not until some degree of luxury was attained in regal palaces and the castles of powerful nobles that separate accomm ...

, 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