tinsel English · revision 790

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈtɪns(ə)l/ ''(UK)''; /ˈtɪnsəl/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|tineseile|t=cloth woven with metallic thread]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(MED) from Anglo-French ''tencele'' and Old French ''estincele'', ''estincelle'' “spark, spangle”,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MED) or from Anglo-French ''(satin) estincelé'' “sparkling satin”.^(Hoad 1986)^(MW Collegiate) The French word comes from Vulgar Latin ''*stincilla'', [[der|la|scintilla|t=spark]] (see [[scintillate]]).^(Hoad 1986)^(Cresswell 2021) It is related to [[stencil]].^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) In 14th- and 15th-century French the ''s'' of ''es-'' had long been silent.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A cloth or tissue interwoven with gold or silver thread (about 1448 in Barnhart; mid-15th century in Etymonline; c. 1448 in the MED).^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MED)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ As an adjective, satin and other fabrics were described as ''tinsel'', “made to glitter with metallic thread” (1502).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995) From the 1590s the word meant very thin sheets, strips or threads of glittering metal used for an inexpensive sparkling effect.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(Cresswell 2021) Hence the figurative sense, anything showy but of little real worth, suggested from the 1590s and established by 1660.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(Hoad 1986) The verb, to adorn with tinsel, dates from 1594.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate) ''Tinseltown'' as a nickname for Hollywood is attested by 1972.^(Etymonline)^(Cresswell 2021) An unrelated Middle English ''tinsel'' meant “loss, damnation”, probably from Old Norse.^(MED)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * about 1448 – cloth woven with gold or silver thread.^(Barnhart 1995)^(MED)

+ * 1502 – adjective, glittering with metallic thread.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1593 – thin glittering strips of metal.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1594 – verb, to adorn with tinsel.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1660 – figuratively, showy worthlessness.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1972 – ''Tinseltown''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # Very thin sheets, strips or threads of a glittering material, used as decoration, as on [[Christmas tree|alt=Christmas trees]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Something showy or attractive but of little real worth; superficial glitter.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+ # A metallic yarn used for weaving [[brocade]] or [[lamé]].^(RHWU)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Made of or decorated with tinsel.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Gaudy, showy and basically worthless; [[tawdry]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To decorate with or as if with tinsel.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To give a false sparkle or superficial attractiveness to.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[tinsellike]]

+ * [[tinselly]]

+ * [[tinselry]]

+ * [[Tinseltown]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[stencil]]

+ * [[scintilla]]

+ * [[scintillate]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}