A chifforobe (/ˈʃɪfəˌroʊb/), also chiffarobe or chifferobe, is a closet-like piece of furniture that combines a long space for hanging clothes (that is, a wardrobe or armoire) with a chest of drawers.[1] Typically the wardrobe section runs down one side of the piece, while the drawers occupy the other side.[2] It may have two enclosing doors or have the drawer fronts exposed and a separate door for the hanging space.[2][3]
Chifforobes were first advertised in the 1908 Sears, Roebuck Catalogue, which described them as "a modern invention, having been in use only a short time."[citation needed] The term itself is a portmanteau of the words chiffonier and wardrobe.[4]
The word is used in the United States, primarily in the southern portion of the country,[5] in Puerto Rico,[6] and in Cuba. Its use has been attested as far apart as Georgia and Vermont.[3] In those references, it was used as a water closet or potty (or more accurately a commode).[3] The word has been used in Texas, but is not as common as its synonyms such as bureau or dresser.[2]