confetti

[kuh n-fet-ee for 1; Italian kawn-fet-tee for 2]

plural noun, singular con·fet·to [kuh n-fet-oh Italian kawn-fet-taw] /kənˈfɛt oʊ Italian kɔnˈfɛt tɔ/ for 2.

(used with a singular verb) small bits of paper, usually colored, thrown or dropped from a height to enhance the gaiety of a festive event, as a parade, wedding, or New Year's Eve party.

confections; bonbons.

Origin of confetti

1805–15; < Italian, plural of confetto comfit

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for confetto

confetti

noun

small pieces of coloured paper thrown on festive occasions, esp at the bride and groom at weddings

Word Origin for confetti

C19: from Italian, plural of confetto, originally, a bonbon; see comfit

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 confetto

confetti

1815, from Italian plural of confetto "sweetmeat," via Old French, from Latin confectum, confectus (see confection). A small candy traditionally thrown during carnivals in Italy, custom adopted in England for weddings and other occasions, with symbolic tossing of paper.