lazy susan

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

lazy Susan^¹

Where it comes from

Uncertain, but probably a generic name like Jane, in reference to the device replacing a servant at table. The earliest attestation is from c. 1903 in the Boston Journal, which credits a local carpenter named John Laurie as "the resuscitator of 'Lazy Susan'". Almost certainly not named in honor of the daughters of Thomas Jefferson or Edison who were both named Susan.

noun lazy Susans · Lazy Susan · lazy susan

A rotating tray (turntable) used on tables and counters for serving condiments or food.
A rotating set of shelves used to minimize inaccessible space, usually employed in corner kitchen cabinets. The 36′′ corner lazy Susan cabinet makes excellent use of corner spaces in a kitchen.
Synonym of round trip (“form of barter involving selling and buying back”).
Similar: round trip

Lazy Susan^²

noun Lazy Susans

Alternative letter-case form of lazy Susan

lazy susan^³

noun lazy susans

Alternative letter-case form of lazy Susan

Thesaurus

noun

Translations

Every language

noun lazy Susan

Español	tabla giratoria, bandeja giratoria, bandeja de rotatoria, estante giratorio
Português	bandeja giratória
Deutsch	Drehplatte, Drehteller
Română	carusel
Русский	поворо́тный подно́с povorótnyj podnós, крутя́щий подно́с krutjáščij podnós

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"lazy susan." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lazy%20susan. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

lazy susan. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lazy%20susan

Chicago

"lazy susan." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lazy%20susan.

BibTeX

@misc{lazy_susan_2026,
  title = {lazy susan},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lazy%20susan},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}