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bibelot

[ bib-loh; French beebuh-loh ]
/ ˈbɪb loʊ; French bibəˈloʊ /
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noun, plural bi·be·lots [bib-lohz; French beebuh-loh] /ˈbɪb loʊz; French bibəˈloʊ/.

a small object of curiosity, beauty, or rarity.

RELATED WORDS

bauble, curio, curiosity, gewgaw, gimcrack, knickknack, novelty, ornament, trifle, gaud, whatnot

Nearby words

bibb, bibb lettuce, bibber, bibble, bibcock, bibelot, bibitory, bibl, bibl., bible, bible banger

Origin of bibelot

1870–75; < French, equivalent to bibel- (expressive formation akin to bauble) + -ot noun suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bibelot

  • Met him at the Bibelot once, and he was telling us how he attempted to make a fire with a couple of sticks.

    The Sea-Wolf|Jack London

  • I set to work at once, and in a very little while my bibelot was selected.

    Certain Personal Matters|H. G. Wells

  • Regarded as a bibelot, Mrs. Wigger was, I think, of the first perfection.

    Turns about Town|Robert Cortes Holliday

  • She was terribly hurt; in her heart she had always feared her husband regarded her as a bibelot.

    The Twelfth Hour|Ada Leverson

British Dictionary definitions for bibelot

bibelot

/ (ˈbɪbləʊ, French biblo) /

noun

an attractive or curious trinket
a miniature book

Word Origin for bibelot

C19: from French, from Old French beubelet, perhaps from a reduplication of bel beautiful
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

Word Origin and History for bibelot

bibelot

n.

"small curio," 1873, from French bibelot "knick-knack," from Old French beubelet "trinket, jewel" (12c.), from belbel "plaything," a reduplication of bel "pretty."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper