bagatelle

American  

[bag-uh-tel] / ˌbæg əˈtɛl /

noun

1. something of little value or importance; a trifle.

   "A mere bagatelle," she murmured in response to my admiration of her ring.

2. a game played on a board having holes at one end into which balls are to be struck with a cue.

3. pinball.

4. a short and light musical composition, typically for the piano.

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bagatelle British  

/ ˌbæɡəˈtɛl /

noun

1. something of little value or significance; trifle

2. a board game in which balls are struck into holes, with pins as obstacles; pinball

3. another name for bar billiards

4. a short light piece of music, esp for piano

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Etymology

Origin of bagatelle

First recorded in 1630–40; from French, from Italian bagat(t)ella, equivalent to bagatt(a) “small possession,” perhaps a derivative of bag(a) “berry” (from Latin bāca, bacca ) + -att(a), diminutive suffix + -ella, from Latin -illa diminutive suffix; bay ⁴

Explanation

A bagatelle is a trifle or a trinket — a little thing without too much importance or value. You might wake on Christmas morning to find your stocking full of bagatelles. Use the noun bagatelle when you're talking about something that's purely decorative, like a bauble or knickknack, or that's very easily done. For example, you might say, "Oh watching your cat was such a bagatelle — I really didn't have to do a thing!" The word is French, meaning "knick-knack, bauble, or trinket," from the diminutive form of the Latin baca, or "berry."

Example Sentences

A bagatelle the length of a pop song, Beethoven’s trifle is recognizable from the start: a wobble between E and D sharp that gives way to a tune you’ve heard virtually everywhere.

From New York Times • Jan. 7, 2021

But that case involved tens of thousands of dollars - a mere bagatelle compared to the monster cryptocurrency scam whose story is being told in an enthralling BBC podcast.

From BBC • Sep. 26, 2019

He felt moved, with no greater desire than to create a comic bagatelle, to see if he could out-Kanye Kanye, just as the poem declares.

From Slate • Oct. 12, 2018

Storm and company should rent the Rosalind Russell-Cary Grant charmer “His Girl Friday” for a clue to the manic “oomph” that could make this retro bagatelle more palatable to modern audiences.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2018

I knew his people were fairly well to do, and that the eight dollars a week I paid him were a mere bagatelle toward his living expenses.

From Dawson Black: Retail Merchant by Whitehead, Harold