coffer Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an ornamental sunken panel in a ceiling or dome
    lacuna; caisson.
  2. noun a chest especially for storing valuables

WordNet

Cof"fer noun
Etymology
OF. cofre, F. coffre, L. cophinus basket, fr. Gr. . Cf. Coffin, n.
Definitions
  1. A casket, chest, or trunk; especially, one used for keeping money or other valuables. Chaucer.
    In ivory coffers I have stuffed my crowns. Shak.
  2. Fig.: Treasure or funds; -- usually in the plural.
    He would discharge it without any burden to the queen's coffers, for honor sake. Bacon.
    Hold, here is half my coffer. Shak.
  3. (Arch.) A panel deeply recessed in the ceiling of a vault, dome, or portico; a caisson.
  4. (Fort.) A trench dug in the botton of a dry moat, and extending across it, to enable the besieged to defend it by a raking fire.
  5. The chamber of a canal lock; also, a caisson or a cofferdam.
Cof"fer transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To put into a coffer. Bacon.
  2. (Mining.) To secure from leaking, as a chaft, by ramming clay behind the masonry or timbering. Raymond.
  3. To form with or in a coffer or coffers; to turnish with a coffer or coffers.

Webster 1913