1. Chiefly British. A pantry.
2. A niche near the altar of a church for keeping sacred vessels and vestments.

[Middle English almerie, place for safekeeping, from Old French almarie, from Medieval Latin almārium, from Latin armārium, closet, from arma, tools. See arm².]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.