curio

[ kyoor-ee-oh ]
See synonyms for curio on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural cu·ri·os.
  1. any unusual article, object of art, etc., valued as a curiosity.

Origin of curio

1
First recorded in 1850–55; shortened from curiosity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use curio in a sentence

  • Knowing that we were anxious to collect such curios as were available, he produced all kinds of things for our inspection.

    Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921 | Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury
  • They come from the Sister Isle, where there are still curios to be met with.

    Chats on Household Curios | Fred W. Burgess
  • Some of the most wonderful curios have been cut by hand, fashioned with skill.

    Chats on Household Curios | Fred W. Burgess
  • "Mr. Lyne was very fond of distributing the curios he brought from the East to his friends," he went on.

    The Daffodil Mystery | Edgar Wallace
  • His grandmother sat over her accounts at her desk in a corner among her curios.

British Dictionary definitions for curio

curio

/ (ˈkjʊərɪˌəʊ) /


nounplural -rios
  1. a small article valued as a collector's item, esp something fascinating or unusual

Origin of curio

1
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