girandole

[ jir-uhn-dohl ]

/ ˈdʒɪr ənˌdoʊl /

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noun

a rotating and radiating firework.

an ornate bracket for candelabra or the like, sometimes with a reflecting mirror at the back of the shelf.

a brooch or earring consisting of a central ornament with usually three smaller ornaments hanging from it.

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Also gi·ran·do·la

[ji-ran-dl-uh]. /dʒɪˈræn dl ə/.

Origin of girandole

First recorded in 1625–35; from French, from Italian girandola, derivative of girare “to turn in a circle, revolve,” from Late Latin gȳrāre, derivative of gȳrus “circular track (for horses), ring, circle,” from Greek gŷros

Words nearby girandole

gipsy, gipsy moth, gipsywort, giraffe, Giraldus Cambrensis, girandole, Girard, girasol, Giraud, Giraudoux, gird

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

How to use girandole in a sentence

I have seen a set of cut-glass sent to Calcutta for the purpose, or a girandole, too handsome for Brazilian purchasers.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham
A witty writer says that dessert should be "the girandole, or cunning tableau of the dinner."
The Art of Entertaining|M. E. W. Sherwood
The sounds of shivering glass as a girandole crashed from its joining met their ears.
The ghosts of their ancestors|Weymer Jay Mills
They were the only tenants of the room, which was small, cedar-panelled and lighted by a girandole of sparkling crystal.
The Snare|Rafael Sabatini

The saloon is lit with gas, and has a very tasteful girandole.
Travels Through North America, v. 1-2|Berhard Saxe-Weimar Eisenach

British Dictionary definitions for girandole

girandole

girandola (dʒɪˈrændələ)

/ (ˈdʒɪrənˌdəʊl) /

noun

an ornamental branched wall candleholder, usually incorporating a mirror

an earring or pendant having a central gem surrounded by smaller ones

a kind of revolving firework

artillery a group of connected mines

Word Origin for girandole

C17: from French, from Italian girandola, from girare to revolve, from Latin gӯrāre to gyrate

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