trinket

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈtɹɪŋkɪt/^[1]

Etymology

It is of unknown or uncertain origin.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Etymonline suggests it is a diminutive, perhaps of a nasalized variant of trick.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A small ornament, usually a piece of jewellery (before 1533),^[7][3] and small tools or articles of an outfit (before 1536).^[7]

Semantic evolution

It was also applied disparagingly to ornaments and rites of worship thought vain (1538).^[7] It has otherwise kept its sense of a small, usually cheap ornament or trifle.^[2][5][6][1] An obsolete verb trinket meant to have secret or underhand dealings (1647).^[7][6]

Timeline

• about 1527 – first date given by Merriam-Webster.^[5]
• before 1533 – a small ornament.^[7][3]
• 1538 – of religious ornaments thought vain.^[7]
• 1647 – verb, to intrigue.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A small ornament, such as a cheap piece of jewellery; a bauble.
2. A thing of little value; a trifle.

Word family

• trinketry

Related words

• bauble

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press