Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

girandole

07.04.2019 - By Merriam-WebsterPlay

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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 4, 2019 is: girandole \JEER-un-dohl\ noun

1 : a radiating and showy composition (such as a cluster of [skyrockets](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skyrocket) fired together)

2 : an ornamental branched candlestick

3 : a [pendant](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pendant) earring usually with three ornaments hanging from a central piece

Examples:

"The centerpiece of the decorative program was the figure of Eternity seated on a triumphal chariot drawn by four horses, itself a fuoco d'artificio (fireworks spectacle), and flanked by two smaller girandoles of three hundred rockets each." — Kevin Salatino, Incendiary Art: The Representation of Fireworks in Early Modern Europe, 1997

"The magnificent hall hints at extravagance within: The walls are lined in pleated pistachio silk; … glimmering crystal girandoles stand sentry beside the fireplace." — Plum Sykes, Vogue, 19 Mar. 2018

Did you know?

The earliest uses of girandole in English, in the 17th century, referred to a kind of firework or to something, such as a fountain, with a radiating pattern like that of a firework. Such a pattern is reflected in the word's etymology: girandole can be traced back by way of French and Italian to the Latin word gyrus, meaning "[gyre](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gyre)" or "a circular or spiral motion or form." By the 18th century, girandole was being used for a branched candlestick, perhaps due to its resemblance to the firework. The word's use for a kind of earring was lit during the 19th century.

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