Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

frippery

 - 3 dictionary results

frip⋅per⋅y

  [frip-uh-ree]
Use frippery in a Sentence
–noun, plural -per⋅ies.
1. finery in dress, esp. when showy, gaudy, or the like.
2. empty display; ostentation.
3. gewgaws; trifles.
Origin:
1560–70; < F friperie, OF freperie, equiv. to frepe rag + -erie -ery
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To frippery
frip·per·y   (frĭp'ə-rē)   
n.   pl. frip·per·ies

  1. Pretentious, showy finery.

  2. Pretentious elegance; ostentation.

  3. Something trivial or nonessential.


[French friperie, from Old French freperie, old clothes, from felpe, frepe, from Medieval Latin faluppa, worthless material.]
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

frippery 
1568, "old clothes, cast-off garments," from M.Fr. friperie "old clothes, an old clothes shop," from O.Fr. freperie, from frepe "rag," from L.L. 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 1637.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see frippery on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way