lorgnette
Americannoun
-
a pair of eyeglasses mounted on a handle.
-
a pair of opera glasses mounted on a handle.
noun
Etymology
Origin of lorgnette
1795–1805; < French, derivative of lorgner to eye furtively; see -ette
Explanation
An old-fashioned type of glasses that you hold up to your eyes with a handle is called a lorgnette. You might see a lady with a lorgnette enjoying the opera in an old movie. Lorgnettes were originally a type of jewelry, rather than functional eyeglasses. Later, they were used to enhance vision but considered more fashionable than spectacles that hooked over the ears. The disadvantage of a lorgnette is that you have to hold it up to your eyes in order to see clearly. The word comes from the French verb lorgner, "to squint," and lorgne, which means both "squinting" and also "cross-eyed or foolish."
Vocabulary lists containing lorgnette
Power Suffix: -ette
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Importance of Being Earnest
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Diary of a Madman" by Nikolai Gogol
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Originally voiced by Jerry Nelson, she sometimes wears a horn-rimmed lorgnette, fans herself with plastic and sings torchy, bluesy songs.
From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2022
A lyrical aesthete and a Flaubertian prose polisher, he is pictured, in “Lucky Per,” as the sickly poet Enevoldsen, fussing with his lorgnette at a Copenhagen café while worrying about “where to put a comma.”
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 14, 2019
And, like a Brontë sister in a box at the opera, Perry observes the drama from an omniscient perch, examining her characters as if through a lorgnette.
From New York Times ● Oct. 26, 2018
Here is Smith, sans magic wand, sans the pearls and lorgnette, facing the camera as an unadorned suburban housewife telling her story of hope and desperation with only her voice and facial expressions.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 28, 2015
I could tell by her abrupt manner, and the way she tapped her lorgnette against her teeth, that she was questing possibilities.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
