sequin
[see-kwin]
- a small shining disk or spangle used for ornamentation, as on women's clothing and accessories or on theatrical costumes.
- a former gold coin of Venice, introduced in 1284; ducat.
- a former gold coin of Malta, introduced c1535.
- a former gold coin of Turkey, introduced in 1478.
Show More
Origin of sequin
1575–85; < French sequin < Italian zecchino, equivalent to zecc(a) mint (< Arabic sikkah die, coin) + -ino -ine2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for sequined
Contemporary Examples
Back on the street with her nervous little dog and a dozen sequined dresses.
Long, column dresses in similar floral prints (accented with tassels and sequined bits) came next.
Sequined dresses were shown with long, thigh-grazing sweaters in dark, wintry colors.
Emma: I have three boxes full of sequined and tulle thingamajigs that go in my hair.
Does she actually make the transition from sequined Barbie to leading lady?
Historical Examples
She thrilled to the look, and the desert spirit made her screen her face from it, with a sequined gauze scarf which she wore.
The Golden SilenceC. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson
Mariachis, in their sequined black suits and sprawling black hats, played and sang.
The Haciendas of MexicoPaul Alexander Bartlett
sequin
- a small piece of shiny often coloured metal foil or plastic, usually round, used to decorate garments, etc
- Also called: zecchino any of various gold coins that were formerly minted in Italy, Turkey, and Malta
Show More
Word Origin
C17: via French from Italian zecchino, from zecca mint, from Arabic sikkah die for striking coins
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 sequined
sequin
n.
1610s, name of a former Italian and Turkish gold coin, from French sequin (17c.), from Italian zecchino, name of a Venetian coin, from zecca "a mint," from Arabic sikkah "a minting die." Meaning "ornamental disc or spangle" is first recorded 1882, from resemblance to a gold coin. Related: Sequined (1890).
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper