Etymology Dictionary

AMBRY, AUMBRY,  a cupboard.  (F.,—L.)   α. Nares remarks that ambry is a corruption of almonry, but this remark only applies to a particular street in Westminster so called.   The word in the sense of 'cupboard' has a different origin.   β. The word is now obsolete, except provincially; it is spelt aumbrie by Tusser, Five Hundred Points, ed. 1573, ii. 5 (Halliwell).   Clearly a corruption of O.F. armarie, a repository for arms (Burguy), which easily passed into arm'rie, a'm'rie, and thence into ambry, with the usual excrescent b after m.   The O.F. armarie became later armaire, armoire; Cotgrave gives both these forms, and explains them by 'a cupboard, ambrie, little press; any hole, box contrived in, or against, a wall,' &c.   Hence ambry is a doublet of armory; and both are to be referred to Low Lat. armaria, a chest or cupboard, esp. a bookcase.   Another form is armarium, esp. used to denote a repository for arms, which is plainly the original sense.—Lat. arma, arms.   See Arms.   ¶ It is remarkable that, as the ambry in a church was sometimes used as a place of deposit for alms, it was popularly connected with alms instead of arms, and looked upon as convertible with almonry.   Popular etymology often effects connections of this sort, which come at last to be believed in. [†]

ADDENDA

Add:  M.E. awmery, awmebry, Prompt. Parv. p. 18; which assists the etymology.   O.F. almaire, Roman de Rou, 4565.