sequin

[see-kwin]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sequin ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

Nearby words

Also zecchino, zechin (for defs 2–4).

Origin of sequin

1575–85; < French sequin < Italian zecchino, equivalent to zecc(a) mint (< Arabic sikkah die, coin) + -ino -ine²

Related formsse·quined, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sequined

Back on the street with her nervous little dog and a dozen sequined dresses.
Russia’s Gold Digger Academy|Peter Pomerantsev|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Long, column dresses in similar floral prints (accented with tassels and sequined bits) came next.
Marc Jacobs: Hot & Heavy for Spring 2014 at New York Fashion Week|Isabel Wilkinson|September 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Sequined dresses were shown with long, thigh-grazing sweaters in dark, wintry colors.
Marc Jacobs: Hot & Heavy for Spring 2014 at New York Fashion Week|Isabel Wilkinson|September 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Emma: I have three boxes full of sequined and tulle thingamajigs that go in my hair.
How I Write Family Edition: Emma Straub & Peter Straub|Noah Charney|August 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Does she actually make the transition from sequined Barbie to leading lady?
Does 'Footloose' Suck?|Ramin Setoodeh|October 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST
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 Silence|C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson

British Dictionary definitions for sequined

sequin

noun

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

Derived Formssequined, adjective

Word Origin for sequin

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

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).