A “whatnot” is an informal, catch‑all word people use to mean “other similar things” or “and so on,” and it can also refer to a small shelf unit for displaying decorative items.

What “whatnot” means

  • In everyday speech, “whatnot” is used like “etcetera” or “and so on” to cover unspecified but related things.
  • It can also mean a small, unspecified object or miscellaneous bits and pieces.

Example: “The drawer is full of paper clips, pins, rubber bands, and whatnot.”

As a piece of furniture

  • A whatnot can be a light, open set of shelves used to hold ornaments, knickknacks, or bric‑a‑brac.
  • This furniture sense comes from the idea that it holds all your little “whats” and “whatevers” – all the small decorative whatnots.

Where the word comes from

  • The word goes back to at least the 1500s, originally built from “what” + “not,” in the sense of “whatever else” or “anything (unspecified).”
  • Over time, that vague “everything else” feeling turned into both the modern casual phrase and the name for a shelf for miscellaneous items.

How people use it today

  • It shows up in casual speech, interviews, and writing when someone does not want to list every item: “policies on safety, harassment, fraud, and whatnot.”
  • It sounds informal and conversational, so it is more common in speech, forums, and relaxed writing than in very formal documents.

TL;DR: “Whatnot” means “other similar things, etc.” in casual English, and it can also be the name of a small shelf for knickknacks.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.