Definition: a piece of furniture with curved, bulging sides and often a swelling front as well - usually a free-standing commode or the bottom half of a secretary or chest of drawers; developed during the early 1700s, during France's Régence period, it's highly characteristic of Louis XV, Chippendale and Rococo Revival styles
Pronunciation: bom-bay
Also Known As: bombe (without the accent), kettle-shaped (American)
Example: The bombé chest, with its curved silhouette, is so typical of the sinuous forms that flourished in 18th-century Rococo furniture.