gewgaw

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a showy but cheap or worthless trinket, ornament, or decorative object

   The cabinet was crowded with porcelain gewgaws and gilded souvenirs.

2. 2
   adj

   showy, insubstantial, or pretentious

   The critic dismissed the pavilion as gewgaw architecture with no practical purpose.

From Middle English givegove or giuegaue, 'a trifle or ornament.' The deeper origin is uncertain: it may be a contemptuous reduplicative formation related to gift, or connected with Old French words for play and amusement. The spelling varied widely before gewgaw became standard.

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External links

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