boutonniere

[ boot-n-eer, boo-tuhn-yair ]

/ ˌbut nˈɪər, ˌbu tənˈyɛər /

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noun

a flower or small bouquet worn, usually by a man, in the buttonhole of a lapel.

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Origin of boutonniere

1875–80; <French boutonnière buttonhole (boutonbutton + -ière suffix for things that facilitate the use of that denoted by the stem <Latin -āria-ary

Words nearby boutonniere

boutel, boutique, boutique brewery, bouton, boutonneuse fever, boutonniere, Boutros-Ghali, bouts-rimés, bouvardia, bouvier, Bouvier des Flandres

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use boutonniere in a sentence

An after dinner cigar, and a little boutonniere of fragrant flowers furnished by a gray-haired old lady, completed the program.
The Everett massacre|Walker C. Smith
At each place, beside the napkin, is a rich red rose, just large enough to form a dainty boutonniere.
Suppers|Paul Pierce
He lifted the lapel of his coat, carrying the boutonniere to his nose.
The White Moll|Frank L. Packard
Then as she glanced at the lapel of his coat she continued: "And you must have a boutonniere; may I select something for you?"
The Heatherford Fortune|Mrs. Georgie Sheldon

He seems to have passed it and to have plucked it casually,—but it is a boutonniere with tin foil round it.
Modern Eloquence: Vol II, After-Dinner Speeches E-O|Various

British Dictionary definitions for boutonniere

boutonniere

/ (ˌbʊtɒnɪˈɛə) /

noun

another name for buttonhole (def. 2)

Word Origin for boutonniere

C19: from French: buttonhole, from bouton button

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

boutonniere

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Origin of boutonniere

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British Dictionary definitions for boutonniere

Word Origin for boutonniere