netsuke

[ net-skee, -skey; Japanese ne-tsoo-ke ]

/ ˈnɛt ski, -skeɪ; Japanese ˈnɛ tsʊˈkɛ /

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noun

(in Japanese art) a small figure of ivory, wood, metal, or ceramic, originally used as a buttonlike fixture on a man's sash, from which small personal belongings were hung.

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

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Origin of netsuke

1880–85; <Japanese, equivalent to ne root + tsuke (earlier tuke(y) attach

Words nearby netsuke

net realizable value, Netrebko, netroot, netroots, netspeak, netsuke, nett, netted melon, nettie, Nettilling Lake, netting

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

How to use netsuke in a sentence

Look at this little netsuke, or inro, or sword-guard, and follow the workman as you admire each detail of the execution.
An Artist's Letters From Japan|John La Farge
Japanese Netsuke (tiny carvings of exquisite skill representing comical men, women, and children) are famous the world over.
Evolution Of The Japanese, Social And Psychic|Sidney L. Gulick
The netsuke has, of course, no place in this form of the tabako-ire.
The Life and Letters of Lafcadio Hearn, Volume 2|Elizabeth Bisland
Japanese Netsuke and Scandinavian bone carvings are other stimulating, if more remote, fields.
Pottery, for Artists Craftsmen & Teachers|George J. Cox

In order to suspend this from the girdle there was employed a kind of button or toggle—the netsuke.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 2|Various

British Dictionary definitions for netsuke

netsuke

/ (ˈnɛtsʊkɪ) /

noun

(in Japan) a carved toggle, esp of wood or ivory, originally used to tether a medicine box, purse, etc, worn dangling from the waist

Word Origin for netsuke

C19: from Japanese

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