cu·ri·o

[kyoor-ee-oh]
noun, plural cu·ri·os.
any unusual article, object of art, etc., valued as a curiosity.

Origin:
1850–55; shortened from curiosity

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
curio (ˈkjʊərɪˌəʊ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , pl -rios
a small article valued as a collector's item, esp something fascinating or unusual
 
[C19: shortened from curiosity]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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00:10
Curio is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

curio
"piece of bric-a-brac from the Far East," 1851, shortened form of curiosity.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Yet there are still riches to be found and-this is the joy of curio-collecting-each collector to his taste.
The towns have small museums and curio and antiques shops to poke around in.
Far from being a curio, his hobby gives clues to the ocean's highway of currents.
He travelled the world to pursue his eccentric obsession, collecting stories and trivia as if filling an enormous curio cabinet.
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