Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

bagatelle

 - 4 dictionary results

bag⋅a⋅telle

[bag-uh-tel]
–noun
1. something of little value or importance; a trifle.
2. a game played on a board having holes at one end into which balls are to be struck with a cue.
3. pinball.
4. a short and light musical composition, typically for the piano.

Origin:
1630–40; < F < Upper It bagat(t)ella, equiv. to bagatt(a) small possession (perh. bag(a) berry (< L bāca; cf bay 4 ) + -att(a) dim. suffix) + -ella < L -illa dim. suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bagatelle
bag·a·telle   (bāg'ə-těl')   
n.  
  1. An unimportant or insignificant thing; a trifle.

  2. A short, light piece of verse or music.

  3. A game played on an oblong table with a cue and balls.


[French, from Italian bagatella, diminutive of dialectal bagata, little property, possibly from Latin bāca, berry.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

bagatelle 
1637, "a trifle," from Fr., from It. bagatella "a trifle," dim. of L. baca "berry." As "a piece of light music," it is attested from 1827.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia

bagatelle

game, probably of English origin, that is similar to billiards and was probably a modification of it. Bagatelle is played with billiard cues and nine balls on an oblong board or table varying in size from 6 by 1.5 ft (1.8 by 0.5 m) to 10 by 3 ft (3 by 0.9 m), with nine numbered cups at its head, eight arranged in a circle and the ninth in its centre. The cups are approximately 2.5 in (6.3 cm) in diameter. The balls are approximately 1.88 in (4.77 cm) in diameter. Sans egal, the cannon game, and Mississippi are among the many variations of bagatelle.

Learn more about bagatelle with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see bagatelle on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: