Cabinetworker is a compound of cabinet + worker; cabinet is from French cabinet ('small room, case'), diminutive of cabine, ultimately related to cabin. The historical trail runs through cabinet in French. Morphologically, cabinetworker is transparent: it is a compound of cabinet + worker. Used as a noun, cabinetworker now means "a skilled craftsman who makes cabinets and fine furniture", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as cabinet, worker, and cabinetwork. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English.