Definition

Noun: A small, often decorative, container designed to hold snuff (powdered tobacco for inhaling through the nose) and to be carried in a pocket.

Usage

A snuffbox is a historical or collectible item. It is used to store and carry a personal supply of snuff. The term specifically refers to the box itself, not the act of using snuff.

Examples

• The antique dealer showed me a beautiful 18th-century snuffbox made of silver and enamel.
• He took a pinch of snuff from his snuffbox before the meeting.
• Her collection includes snuffboxes from all over Europe.

Advanced Usage

• "to take snuff from a snuffbox": This is the standard phrase describing the action of using the item.
  • Gentlemen of the era would often take snuff from a snuffbox as a social ritual.

Variants and Related Words

• Snuff: (noun) The powdered tobacco contained in a snuffbox.
• Snuff-taker: (noun, archaic) A person who uses snuff.

Synonyms

• Tobacco box: A more general term that could also hold other forms of tobacco.
• Pouch: A soft container, but this is not a direct synonym as a snuffbox is specifically a rigid box.

Different Meanings

The word snuffbox has only one primary meaning as a container for snuff. In human anatomy, the "anatomical snuffbox" is a related term for a triangular depression on the back of the hand, but this is a distinct, specialized term listed separately due to its different context.

Noun

1. a small ornamental box for carrying snuff in your pocket