Definition

Noun: A large box or chest, traditionally used by a young woman to collect and store items like clothing, linens, and household goods in preparation for her future marriage and home.

Usage

This term refers specifically to the physical chest and its traditional social purpose. It is used to describe an object associated with anticipation and preparation for married life. * She spent years filling her hope chest with embroidered linens. * The antique hope chest at the foot of the bed was a family heirloom.

Advanced Usage

• Metaphorical Use: The term can be used metaphorically to represent a collection of skills, experiences, or savings gathered in preparation for a future goal.
  • Her years of education and internships built a professional hope chest for her career.

Variants and Related Words

• Trousseau (noun): The collection of clothing, linens, and household items assembled by a bride for her marriage, often stored in a hope chest.
• Dowry chest (noun): A similar historical item, sometimes used interchangeably, though a dowry chest often implies the goods were part of a formal dowry.

Synonyms

• Glory box (used primarily in British English)
• Bottom drawer (British English, informal)
• Dowry chest

Notes on Meaning

The term emphasizes the aspect of hopeful anticipation ("hope") for a future event (marriage). While the custom is less common today, the phrase persists to describe such a chest or the tradition itself.

Noun

1. chest for storage of clothing (trousseau) and household goods in anticipation of marriage