frippery
pronunciation
How to pronounce frippery in British English:
UK [ˈfrɪpəri]
How to pronounce frippery in American English:
US ['frɪpərɪ]
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- Noun:
- something of little value or significance
Word Origin
- frippery (n.)
- 1560s, "old clothes, cast-off garments," from Middle French friperie "old clothes, an old clothes shop," from Old French freperie, feuperie "old rags, rubbish, old clothes" (13c.), from frepe, feupe "fringe; rags, old clothes," from Late Latin faluppa "chip, splinter, straw, fiber." The notion is of "things worn down, clothes rubbed to rags." The ironic meaning "finery" (but with overtones of tawdriness) dates from 1630s.
Example
- 1. A case full of frippery .
- 2. She often wears ornaments of frippery .
- 3. Insiders say cheap and burly shearers did well in the recession , as cash-strapped customers cut back on frippery .
- 4. While the personal letter , with its grand history , has all but died , the frippery of the colourful card lives on .
- 5. After you 've used the diminutive puppy linux os , you quickly realise that all that graphical frippery that accompanies most linux distributions doesn 't make you any more productive .