# cofre
## Asturian
### Etymology

From French coffre.

### Noun

cofre m (plural cofres)
* safe (box in which valuables can be locked for safekeeping)

#### Synonyms

* caxa fuerte

## Catalan
### Etymology

Inherited from Old Catalan cofre, from Old French cofre, from Latin cŏphĭnus (“basket, pan”), from Ancient Greek κόφινος (kóphinos). First attested in the 13th century.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic) [ˈkɔ.fɾə]
* IPA: (Valencia) [ˈko.fɾe]

### Noun

cofre m (plural cofres or (also Valencia) cófrens)
* chest, coffer (large box often used for storage)

### References

* ↑ “cofre”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025

### Further reading

* “cofre” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “cofre” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “cofre” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Middle English
### Alternative forms

* cofer, cofur, coffre, coffer, coffur, coofre, coofer, cophre

### Etymology

Borrowed from Old French cofre, coffre, from Latin cophinus, from Ancient Greek κόφινος (kóphinos). Doublet of coffyn.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkɔfər/, /ˈkɔfrə/, /ˈkoː-/

### Noun

cofre (plural cofres)
* A coffer (box for valuables or money)
* A supply or store of money.
* A coffin; a box for burial.
* Any container or cavity.
* (rare) A place of secretion or hiding.

#### Related terms

* cofrer

#### Descendants

* English: coffer
* Scots: coffer
* Yola: koaver

#### References

* “cō̆fre, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

## Old French
### Etymology

From Latin cophinus, from Ancient Greek κόφινος (kóphinos, “basket”).

### Noun

cofre oblique singular, m (oblique plural cofres, nominative singular cofres, nominative plural cofre)
* chest (large box often used for storage)

#### Descendants

* French: coffre
* Norman: côffre
* → Catalan: cofre
* → Middle English: cofre, cofer, cofur, coffre, coffer, coffur, coofre, coofer, cophre
** English: coffer
** Scots: coffer
** Yola: koaver
* → Middle Dutch: coffer
** → Middle High German: koffer
*** German: Koffer
**** → Polish: kufer
***** → Romanian: cufăr
**** → Serbo-Croatian: kufer
* → Irish: cófra
* → Portuguese: cofre
* → Spanish: cofre

## Portuguese
### Etymology

Borrowed from French coffre. Doublet of côvão.

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈkɔ.fɾi/
* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈkɔ.fɾi/
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /ˈkɔ.fɾe/
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈkɔ.fɾɨ/
* Hyphenation: co‧fre

### Noun

cofre m (plural cofres)
* safe, coffer (box in which valuables can be locked for safekeeping)

### References

* ↑ “cofre”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
* ↑ “cofre”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

## Spanish
### Etymology

Borrowed from French coffre. Cognate with English coffer. Doublet of cuévano.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkofɾe/ [ˈko.fɾe]
* Rhymes: -ofɾe
* Syllabification: co‧fre

### Noun

cofre m (plural cofres)
* chest, coffer, trunk
    Synonyms: baúl, arca, arcón, arqueta
* safe
    Synonym: caja fuerte
* bonnet, hood (engine compartment of a car)
    Synonyms: capó, bonete, capirote

#### Usage notes

* The difference between baúl and cofre are twofold. In terms of use, cofres are used almost exclusively to safeguard objects of value kind of like a treasure chest, whereas baúles can be used in such a way but are typically used just to store objects a person has no immediate use for such as old clothes.
In terms of appearance, a cofre has a convex or rounded cover and thus is not always entirely synonymous with English coffer. A baúl can have any kind of shape. Thus, a cofre is a type of baúl. In terms of English, more often than not, you could only translate trunk as baúl, but you could translate either baúl or cofre for chest. A baúl you might bring with you on a trip to transport your belongings, but you don't travel with a cofre unless you are a pirate who finds a cofre de tesoro (“treasure chest”) and brings it aboard your ship.

#### Derived terms

* cofre de tesoro
* cofre del tesoro
* pez cofre

#### Related terms

* cofradía

#### See also

* baúl m
* cajuela f
* joroba f
* maleta f
* maletera f
* maletero m
* valija f
* valijera f

### Further reading

* “cofre”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10
* “cofre”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010
* “cofre”, in Diccionario del español de México, Segunda edición, Academia Mexicana de la Lengua, 2019