181. Aumbry: Storage for Arms, Alms, and Almonds

Where can Kyle store all of his chainmail, his holy oil, and of course his loose almonds? Emily has the answer, as the two of them chat about that most versatile vessel: the aumbry.

This antique word for a cupboard has done anything but gather dust over the years. It’s also gained a wide range of spellings, pronunciations, and definitions both closely related and completely separate. Our hosts sort out whether an aumbry is more like an armory or an almshouse, and why the letters in this word have such a habit of wandering.

Emily walks Kyle through some uses for aumbries you might’ve found in homes of old, as well as in churches of today. The two discuss what might go in an ambry, where this cabinet might sit in a Christian church, and what other types of church furniture might sit beside it.