The Definition of a Hutch

Word Origins

• The term hutch as a storage vehicle first appeared around 1300 A.D. and was also applied to the biblical ark of the covenant. The word evolved from an Old French term, "huche," and Medieval Latin's "hutica," meaning chest. The first recorded use as hutch as a pen for animals appeared in 1607. From the animal reference came the derogatory use of hutch as a dwelling in which the human occupants lived like animals. The hutch as cupboard first appeared in 1671.

Word Connotation

• Hutch was always a word that was associated with storage or enclosure. As societies evolved and living conditions changed, the underlying meaning of the word shifted to suit the times.The earliest recorded use of the word hutch referred to its use as a storage for valuables. Animals would have been valuable possessions that needed to be kept safe from thieves or predators. Hence, hutch as cage or coop may have appeared.

Societal Division

• With the development of towns and a burgeoning middle class, those who lived in close proximity with the land and their animals may have been looked down upon as serfs living in a hutch or crude dwelling- like a hovel. By 1671, when the cupboard reference first appeared, the middle class would have been well established. A safe place was needed to store the dishes and food that prosperity afforded the townspeople. Hutch came to mean a furniture item designed for this purpose.

Today's Hutch

• The hutch of the late 19th and early 20th century was a stand-alone piece of furniture used to house and display dishes and glassware in a dining room. The hutch was also sometimes referred to as a buffet, sideboard or credenza. Today's furniture hutch may be used in any room to provide storage and may be constructed as a flat-to-the-wall or corner cupboard. The hutch as chicken coop or rabbit den has also survived into 21st century English usage.