Skänk

Skänk is a Swedish noun with two primary senses. In furniture contexts, a skänk is a sideboard or dresser, usually placed in a dining room or kitchen. It typically comprises a base with drawers and cupboards and a flat top surface used for displaying crockery, glassware or lamps. In traditional homes it provided storage for plates and cutlery; in contemporary interiors it may function as a decorative storage unit, often positioned against a wall. The definite form is skänken and the plural is skänkar (skänkarna in definite plural).

In the sense of gifts, a skänk is a donation or gift given to a person, institution, or cause. The verb skänka means to donate or present, and the noun form is used in formal contexts to refer to the gift itself or to an endowment, e.g., en skänk till museet or en stor skänk till universitetet. The term can appear in legal or archival texts to denote a historical gift or benefaction.

Etymology: both senses derive from the verb skänka, to give as a gift. The noun develops from this root and is used in Swedish to denote either a physical piece of furniture or a charitable donation, depending on context.