bric-a-brac
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of bric-a-brac
1830–40; < French, Middle French: literally, at random, without rhyme or reason; gradational compound from elements of obscure origin
Explanation
Bric-a-brac is knickknacks: little objects without any purpose except decoration. Some people love to collect bric-a-brac. Do you know anyone who collects little unicorn figurines or other small knickknacks? Then you know someone who likes bric-a-brac. Bric-a-brac consists of little odds and ends crafted by artists. This is a mass noun: it's plural without adding an s, standing for all sorts of tawdry trinkets. The nice thing about bric-a-brac is you always have room for more since they’re tiny. An arts and crafts festival is a great place to find all sorts of bric-a-brac.
Vocabulary lists containing bric-a-brac
The Hiding Place
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Summer of Lost Letters
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Ice Cream Machine
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The company’s multimedia collages, often blending canonical treasures with campy bric-a-brac, have worked to undo entrenched assumptions of theatrical perception.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2023
Elvis' actual house is smaller than you'd think and kinda gives off grandpa vibes with the overly carpeted rooms and hallways, and bric-a-brac strewed about.
From Salon • Jan. 22, 2023
Another expedition involved visiting a “car boot sale,” a flea market particular to the U.K. in which ordinary folk park their cars in a field and sell bric-a-brac from the trunk.
From New York Times • Oct. 14, 2022
A woman who found two portraits by a 20th Century British artist on a church bric-a-brac stall has described it as her "Fiona Bruce" moment.
From BBC • Aug. 5, 2022
Most of those sales were probably for the usual bric-a-brac and curios the scenarioists bought for themselves, but the tally was easily going to be the best of the summer.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
