frippery

frippery
frippery 1560s, "old clothes, cast-off garments," from M.Fr. friperie "old clothes, an old clothes shop," from O.Fr. freperie, feuperie "old rags, rubbish" (13c.), from frepe, feupe "fringe; rags, old clothes," 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 1630s.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Frippery — Frip per*y, n. [F. friperie, fr. fruper. See {Fripper}.] 1. Coast off clothes. [Obs.] B. Jonson. [1913 Webster] 2. Hence: Secondhand finery; cheap and tawdry decoration; affected elegance. [1913 Webster] Fond of gauze and French frippery.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Frippery — Frip per*y, a. Trifling; contemptible. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • frippery — [n] waste, nonsense adornment, bauble, decoration, fanciness, fandangle*, flashiness, frill, fussiness, gaudiness, knickknack, meretriciousness, ornament, ostentation, pretentiousness, showiness, tawdriness, toy, trinket; concepts 655,824 Ant.… …   New thesaurus

  • frippery — ► NOUN (pl. fripperies) 1) showy or unnecessary ornament. 2) a tawdry or frivolous thing. ORIGIN Old French freperie second hand clothes , from frepe rag …   English terms dictionary

  • frippery — [frip′ər ē] n. pl. fripperies [orig., castoff clothes < Fr friperie < OFr freperie < frepe, a rag < ? ML faluppa, a shaving, straw] 1. cheap, gaudy clothes; tawdry finery 2. showy display in dress, manners, speech, etc.; affectation… …   English World dictionary

  • frippery — [[t]frɪ̱pəri[/t]] fripperies N UNCOUNT: also N in pl (disapproval) If you refer to something as frippery, you mean that it is silly or unnecessary, and only done or worn for pleasure [mainly BRIT] ...all the fripperies with which the Edwardian… …   English dictionary

  • frippery — UK [ˈfrɪpərɪ] / US noun [countable/uncountable] Word forms frippery : singular frippery plural fripperies something useless but attractive or enjoyable …   English dictionary

  • frippery — noun a) Ostentation, as in fancy clothing. 1892 Frederick Law Olmsted, Report by F.L.O. , April 1892. Quoted in 2003, , , Random House, ISBN 0609608444, page 170: b) Useless things; trifles. , [ Olmsted reiterated his insistence that in Chicago ] …   Wiktionary

  • frippery — noun (plural peries) Etymology: Middle French friperie, alteration of Old French freperie, from frepe old garment Date: 1568 1. obsolete a. cast off clothes b. archaic a place where old clothes are sold 2 …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • frippery — /frip euh ree/, n., pl. fripperies. 1. finery in dress, esp. when showy, gaudy, or the like. 2. empty display; ostentation. 3. gewgaws; trifles. [1560 70; < F friperie, OF freperie, equiv. to frepe rag + erie ERY] * * * …   Universalium

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