Etymologically
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showcase

Etymology and origin of the English word showcase

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1835
Ultimate origins
Old English (scēawian)Old French (cas)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English show
English showcase

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈʃəʊ.keɪs/, US /ˈʃoʊ.keɪs/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound, from English show + case.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A glass case for displaying delicate or valuable things: 1835.[2][4][3]

Semantic evolution

Attributive and adjectival use is from 1903.[4] Figuratively, a place or medium for presenting something attractively, it is attested by 1937,[2][4] and the verb, at first American, by 1945.[2][4][3]

Timeline

  • 1835 – a glass display case.[2][4]
  • 1937 – a showcase (figurative).[2][4]
  • 1945 – to showcase (verb).[2][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A glass case for displaying objects in a shop or museum.
  2. A setting in which something is shown to its best advantage.

Verb

  1. To display prominently, especially to advantage.

Adjective

  1. Displayed, or worthy of display, as in a showcase.

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Showcase.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/showcase. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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