furbelow

[ fur-buh-loh ]
See synonyms for furbelow on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a ruffle or flounce, as on a woman's skirt or petticoat.

  2. any bit of showy trimming or finery.

verb (used with object)
  1. to ornament with or as if with furbelows.

Origin of furbelow

1
First recorded in 1670–80; variant of falbala

Other words from furbelow

  • un·fur·be·lowed, adjective

Words Nearby furbelow

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use furbelow in a sentence

  • How ridiculous that one should suffer from want of a frill or a furbelow!

    The Golden Censer | John McGovern
  • I invited that furbelow widow to stay on purpose to spare me this almost tte--tte meeting.

    The Vicar of Wrexhill | Mrs [Frances] Trollope
  • It was a hull week afore I could make up my mind to go out of my office, and the sight of a furbelow raly made me sick.

  • I'll tear the furbelow off your clothes, and when you swoon for vexation, you shan't have a penny, to buy a bottle of hartshorn.

    The Inconstant | George Farquhar
  • Her sex was the very essence of her; she had no need to wear it like a furbelow.

    The Nest Builder | Beatrice Forbes-Robertson Hale

British Dictionary definitions for furbelow

furbelow

/ (ˈfɜːbɪˌləʊ) /


noun
  1. a flounce, ruffle, or other ornamental trim

  2. (often plural) showy ornamentation

verb
  1. (tr) to put a furbelow on (a garment)

Origin of furbelow

1
C18: by folk etymology from French dialect farbella; see falbala

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012