ə noun, plural tif·fa·nies.
a sheer, mesh fabric constructed in plain weave, originally made of silk but now often made of cotton or synthetic fibers.
Origin:
1250–1300; 1595–1605 for current sense; perhaps punning use of the earlier word, Middle English: feast of the Epiphany < Old French tiphanie Epiphany < Late Latin theophania. See theophany
1250–1300; 1595–1605 for current sense; perhaps punning use of the earlier word, Middle English: feast of the Epiphany < Old French tiphanie Epiphany < Late Latin theophania. See theophany
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To tiffany
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Tiffany
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
tiffany (ˈtɪfənɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -nies | |
| a sheer fine gauzy fabric | |
| [C17: (in the sense: a fine dress worn on Twelfth Night): from Old French tifanie, from ecclesiastical Latin theophania Epiphany; see | |
| Tiffany1 (ˈtifənɪ) | |
| —n | |
| Louis Comfort. 1848--1933, US glass-maker and Art-Nouveau craftsman, best known for creating the Favrile style of stained glass | |
| Tiffany2 | |
| —n , pl -nies | |
| another name for Chantilly | |
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
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tiffany
"type of thin, transparent fabric," c.1600; earlier a common name for the festival of the Epiphany (early 14c.; in Anglo-Fr. from late 13c.), from O.Fr. Tifinie, Tiphanie (c.1200), from L.L. Theophania "Theophany," another name for the Epiphany, from Gk. theophania "the manifestation of a god." Also
popular in O.Fr. and M.E. as a name given to girls born on Epiphany Day. The fabric sense is found only in English and is of obscure origin and uncertain relation to the other meanings, unless as a fanciful allusion to "manifestation:"
"The invention of that fine silke, Tiffanie, Sarcenet, and Cypres, which instead of apparell to cover and hide, shew women naked through them." [Holland's "Pliny," 1601]The fashionable N.Y. jewelry firm Tiffany & Co. (1895) is named for its founder, goldsmith Charles L. Tiffany (1812-1902) and his son, Louis C. Tiffany (1848-1933), who was the Art Nouveau decorator noted for his glassware. The surname is attested in Eng. from 1206.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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