curlicue C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary US /ˈkɝlɪˌkju/ UK /ˈkɜːlɪkjuː/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a fancy twist, curl, or flourish, as in writing Her signature ended in an elaborate curlicue. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a fancy twist, curl, or... flourishcurlsquiggletwirlscroll Word family Related forms curlycurl Etymology AI details An American English compound of 'curly' + 'cue' (in the sense of a tail or flourish), formed in the early 19th century. Topics General Vocabulary External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # curlicue **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈkɝlɪˌkju/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈkɜːlɪkjuː/ ## Meanings 1. a fancy twist, curl, or flourish, as in writing ## Examples - Her signature ended in an elaborate curlicue. ## Synonyms - flourish - curl - squiggle - twirl - scroll ## Related Forms - curly - curl ## Etymology An American English compound of 'curly' + 'cue' (in the sense of a tail or flourish), formed in the early 19th century. ## AI Etymology Curlicue is an American English compound of 'curly' + 'cue' (in the sense of a tail or flourish), formed in the early 19th century. Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers a fancy twist, curl, or flourish, as in writing. The wider family includes related words such as curly and curl. ## Topics - General Vocabulary markdown