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nosegay

 - 4 dictionary results

nose⋅gay

  [nohz-gey]
Use nosegay in a Sentence
–noun
a small bunch of flowers; bouquet; posy.
Origin:
1375–1425; late ME: lit., a gay (obs., something pretty; see gay ) for the nose (i.e., to smell)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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nose·gay   (nōz'gā')   
n.  A small bunch of flowers; a bouquet.

[Middle English : nose, nose; see nose + gai, joyous, ornament; see gay.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

nosegay 
"bunch of flowers," c.1420, from nose + gay.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

nosegay

small, hand-held bouquet popular in mid- 19th-century Victorian England as an accessory carried by fashionable ladies. Composed of mixed flowers and herbs and edged with a paper frill or greens, the arrangement was sometimes inserted into a silver filigree holder. When supplied by an admirer, a nosegay became a vehicle for the floral "language of love"-e.g., a red tulip was a declaration of love; a sprig of dogwood returned by the young lady was a sign of indifference; a variegated pink meant that she rejected her suitor's affection. This variety of bouquet has enjoyed periodic revivals.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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