furbelow
[ fur-buh-loh ]
/ ˈfɜr bəˌloʊ /
noun
a ruffle or flounce, as on a woman's skirt or petticoat.
any bit of showy trimming or finery.
verb (used with object)
to ornament with or as if with furbelows.
RELATED WORDS
curio, ornament, bauble, souvenir, bric-a-brac, embellishment, color, wreath, trinket, finery, design, ribbon, plaque, twist, ornamentation, quirk, trifle, toy, thingamajig, frill
Nearby words
- furaldehyde,
- furan,
- furanose,
- furazolidone,
- furbearer,
- furbish,
- furbish lousewort,
- furca,
- furcal,
- furcate
Origin of furbelow
First recorded in 1670–80; variant of falbala
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for furbelow
furbelow
/ (ˈfɜːbɪˌləʊ) /
noun
a flounce, ruffle, or other ornamental trim
(often plural) showy ornamentation
verb
(tr) to put a furbelow on (a garment)
Word Origin for furbelow
C18: by folk etymology from French dialect farbella; see falbala
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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furbelow
c.1700, alteration of falbala, from French falbala (17c., cognate with Provençal farbello), from Italian falda "fold, flap, pleat," from PIE *pel- "to fold." As a verb from 1701.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper