furbelow

[fur-buh-loh]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR furbelow ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Origin of furbelow

First recorded in 1670–80; variant of falbala

Related formsun·fur·be·lowed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for furbelow

curio, ornament, bauble, souvenir, bric-a-brac, embellishment, color, wreath, trinket, finery, design, ribbon, plaque, twist, ornamentation, quirk, trifle, toy, thingamajig, frill

Examples from the Web for furbelow

Historical Examples of furbelow

Her sex was the very essence of her; she had no need to wear it like a furbelow.
The Nest Builder
Beatrice Forbes-Robertson Hale
How ridiculous that one should suffer from want of a frill or a furbelow!
The Golden Censer
John McGovern
A furbelow of precious stones, a hat buttoned with a diamond, a brocade waistcoat or petticoat, are standing topics.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, Vol. 10, Issue 267, August 4, 1827
Various
Then why, in the name of common sense, did you gaze so earnestly at the furbelow lady herself?
The Widow Barnaby
Frances Trollope
And, if it were a mere fal-lal, a furbelow of larval coquetry, even that would not surprise me.
The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles
Jean Henri Fabre

British Dictionary definitions for furbelow

furbelow

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for 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.