jardiniere
Americannoun
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an ornamental receptacle or stand for holding plants, flowers, etc.
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various vegetables diced and boiled or glazed, used for garnishing meat or poultry.
noun
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an ornamental pot or trough for plants
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a garnish of fresh vegetables, cooked, diced, and served around a dish of meat
Etymology
Origin of jardiniere
1835–45; < French, feminine of jardinier gardener, equivalent to Old French jardin garden + -ier -ier 2
Explanation
The word jardiniere may seem a little fancy — and in fact, it is the word for two things that are a little fancy: an ornate flowerpot or plant stand, and a colorful veggie garnish that jazzes up a meal. The term jardiniere comes from the French word for "gardener." Of course, gardeners may grow flowers, or they may grow vegetables, and a jardiniere is a way that either of those products can be showcased. As a flowerpot or plant stand, a jardiniere may be made of ceramic, metal, or wood featuring intricate designs. In the culinary world, a jardiniere adds a pop of color and flavor to an otherwise plain dish. In both cases, fancy.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Roughly 9 percent of the time, a J was incorrectly swapped out for another letter, as when jardiniere was incorrectly spelled as gardiniere.
From Slate • May 28, 2014
For two more rounds and part of a third, they fought without faltering through such helter-spellers as recalesce, baccivorous and jardiniere.
From Time Magazine Archive
Let me have some Man O'War en casserole" "I'll take Zev jardiniere" "Give me a steak a la Earl Sande" "Waiter!
From Time Magazine Archive
“Oh nonsense,” Greta Betchel, a petite woman who fancied herself both a nineteenth-century graveyard poet and the world’s last jardiniere supreme a la Louis XIV, replied.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Ordinarily, a vase or jardiniere filled with freshly cut spikes will look nice for two or three days.
From The Gladiolus A Practical Treatise on the Culture of the Gladiolus by Crawford, Matthew
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.
