Meanings
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1
noun
a gift or present; a consciously French or literary term in English
The host pressed a small silver box on her as a farewell cadeau.
Thesaurus
Etymology
Borrowed from French cadeau, 'gift' or 'present.' The French word goes back through Old Provençal capdel ('chief; capital letter or ornament') to Latin capitellum ('little head'), though its path to the modern gift sense involved several intermediate ornamental and complimentary uses.