curio

[kyoo r-ee-oh]

noun, plural cu·ri·os.

any unusual article, object of art, etc., valued as a curiosity.

Origin of curio

First recorded in 1850–55; shortened from curiosity

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

Related Words for curios

antique, trinket, trifle, toy, bygone, bauble, collectible, whatnot, bibelot

Examples from the Web for curios

Historical Examples of curios

He spoke exactly as if he had been a collector who had been roaming the world for curios.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith
Thou knowest, also, amigo Rafael, that I have been a gatherer of curios.
Cabbages and Kings
O. Henry
Quoth Thomas scornfully, "Curios be blowed, put 'em in the beggars!"
A Yeoman's Letters
P. T. Ross
I am going at last to see my mother, to recover my curios, my books!
Sac-Au-Dos
Joris Karl Huysmans
The curios were very fond of Von Barwig, and he took quite an interest in them.
The Music Master
Charles Klein

British Dictionary definitions for curios

curio

noun plural -rios

a small article valued as a collector's item, esp something fascinating or unusual

Word Origin for curio

C19: shortened from curiosity

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 curios

curio

"piece of bric-a-brac from the Far East," 1851, shortened form of curiosity (n.).