girandole

[ jir-uhn-dohl ]

noun
  1. a rotating and radiating firework.

  2. an ornate bracket for candelabra or the like, sometimes with a reflecting mirror at the back of the shelf.

  1. a brooch or earring consisting of a central ornament with usually three smaller ornaments hanging from it.

Origin of girandole

1
First recorded in 1625–35; from French, from Italian girandola, derivative of girare “to turn in a circle, revolve,” from Late Latin gȳrāre, derivative of gȳrus “circular track (for horses), ring, circle,” from Greek gŷros
  • Also gi·ran·do·la [ji-ran-dl-uh]. /dʒɪˈræn dl ə/.

Words Nearby girandole

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

How to use girandole in a sentence

  • I have seen a set of cut-glass sent to Calcutta for the purpose, or a girandole, too handsome for Brazilian purchasers.

  • A witty writer says that dessert should be "the girandole, or cunning tableau of the dinner."

    The Art of Entertaining | M. E. W. Sherwood
  • The sounds of shivering glass as a girandole crashed from its joining met their ears.

  • They were the only tenants of the room, which was small, cedar-panelled and lighted by a girandole of sparkling crystal.

    The Snare | Rafael Sabatini
  • The saloon is lit with gas, and has a very tasteful girandole.

    Travels Through North America, v. 1-2 | Berhard Saxe-Weimar Eisenach

British Dictionary definitions for girandole

girandole

girandola (dʒɪˈrændələ)

/ (ˈdʒɪrənˌdəʊl) /


noun
  1. an ornamental branched wall candleholder, usually incorporating a mirror

  2. an earring or pendant having a central gem surrounded by smaller ones

  1. a kind of revolving firework

  2. artillery a group of connected mines

Origin of girandole

1
C17: from French, from Italian girandola, from girare to revolve, from Latin gӯrāre to gyrate

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