etui

or e·twee

[ ey-twee, et-wee ]

/ eɪˈtwi, ˈɛt wi /

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noun, plural e·tuis.

a small, often decorative case, especially one for needles, toilet articles, or the like.

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Origin of etui

1605–15; <French étui,Old French estui holder, noun derivative of estuier to keep <Vulgar Latin *studiāre to treat with care

Words nearby etui

Etta, Ettarre, -ette, et tu, Brute, étude, etui, et ux., et uxor, ETV, et vir, ety.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use etui in a sentence

The queen then returned, holding in her hands two very pretty portfolios for her drawings, and a very fine gold etui.
The Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay, Vol. 1 (of 3)|Fanny Burney
He stepped to his trunk, unlocked it, and took from it an etui containing a number of fans.
Frederick The Great and His Family|L. Muhlbach

British Dictionary definitions for etui

étui

/ (ɛˈtwiː) /

noun plural étuis

a small usually ornamented case for holding needles, cosmetics, or other small articles

Word Origin for étui

C17: from French, from Old French estuier to enclose; see tweezers

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