Nearby Words
noun
1.
a showy, useless trifle; gewgaw.
adjective
2.
showy but useless.
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Gimcrack
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
Origin:
1325–75 for earlier sense; Middle English gib(e)crake; compare Middle English gibben to waver (< Old French giber to shake)
1325–75 for earlier sense; Middle English gib(e)crake; compare Middle English gibben to waver (< Old French giber to shake)
Synonyms
1. bauble, knickknack, trinket, ornament.
1. bauble, knickknack, trinket, ornament.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To gimcrack
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
gimcrack
1618, "showy person," sense of "trifle" first recorded 1839, of uncertain origin, perhaps alteration of gibecrake "a kind of ornament" (1360), perhaps from O.Fr. giber "to rattle, shake" + M.E. crak "sharp noise, crack." In 18c.-19c. it also meant "a person who has a turn for mechanical contrivances."
EXPANDCOLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
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