1605–15; < French étui, Old French estui holder, noun derivative of estuier to keep < Vulgar Latin *studiāre to treat with care
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On the other hand, Bach is a disarming small-talker; a rememberer of birthdays; a collector of personal factoids he jots onto slips of paper and carries in an etui for later use.
From New York Times • Jul. 20, 2021
"What think you I have in this etui, dear?" she said, coming forward, and bending over her son to bestow a kiss.
From Joseph II. and His Court by Mühlbach, L. (Luise)
Aprons were regarded as a necessary item of a fashionable costume up to 1750, and the watch and etui adorned the waist, necklaces sparkled on the bosom, and bracelets were worn over long gloves.
From The Evolution of Fashion by Gardiner, Florence Mary
Hippolyte brought the offensive etui and laid it on the dinner-table, while Baptiste approached with a glass of water.
From Joseph II. and His Court by Mühlbach, L. (Luise)
Potemkin took the etui and without opening it laid it on the table beside him.
From Joseph II. and His Court by Mühlbach, L. (Luise)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
