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curio

[kyoo r-ee-oh]
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noun, plural cu·ri·os.
  1. any unusual article, object of art, etc., valued as a curiosity.
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Origin of curio

First recorded in 1850–55; shortened from curiosity
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for curios

Historical Examples

  • 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.

  • Quoth Thomas scornfully, "Curios be blowed, put 'em in the beggars!"

  • 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
  1. a small article valued as a collector's item, esp something fascinating or unusual
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Word Origin

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

n.

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

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper