trousseau
Americannoun
plural
trousseaux, trousseausnoun
Etymology
Origin of trousseau
1175–1225; < French; Middle French troussel, equivalent to trousse parcel, bundle (of straw, etc.), noun derivative of tro ( u ) sser to fasten ( see truss) + -el diminutive suffix ( see -elle)
Explanation
In olden days, a newly married bride would bring a trousseau, or a collection of clothing and linens, when she and her new husband moved in together. Traditionally, a young woman collected items for her trousseau for years before getting married, often with help from her parents. A newer, slightly less antiquated version of the trousseau is a hope chest, a wooden chest that is gradually filled in anticipation of a future marital home. The word trousseau is French, a diminutive form of trousse, "bundle."
Vocabulary lists containing trousseau
To Kill a Mockingbird
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Number the Stars
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In Cold Blood
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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.
“The precious bits of cloth folded away in a small trunk like an abandoned trousseau, the books of my life, the medals in their cases.”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2025
The wine, as well as the rings, the perfume and the other elements were part of a funerary trousseau that was to accompany the deceased in their voyage into the afterlife.
From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2024
But the bride was allowed 100 extra ration coupons for her trousseau.
From Washington Times • Sep. 8, 2022
The dowry was replaced with a marriage chest, also known as a trousseau or hope chest.
From Washington Post • May 18, 2022
He put in their mother’s old skin trunk, which had carried her meager trousseau to this mountain and most of the food she’d managed to preserve before she gave up trying.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
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.
