tinsel

English

Etymology

French étincelle (“spark”), from Old French estincelle, from Latin scintilla; compare scintillate, stencil.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /ˈtɪn.səl/
• Rhymes: -ɪnsəl

Noun

tinsel (uncountable)

1. A shining material used for ornamental purposes; especially, a very thin, gauzelike cloth with much gold or silver woven into it; also, very thin metal overlaid with a thin coating of gold or silver, brass foil, or the like.
   • John Dryden:

     Who can discern the tinsel from the gold?

2. Very thin strips of a glittering, metallic material used as a decoration, and traditionally, draped at Christmas time over streamers, paper chains and the branches of Christmas trees.
3. Anything shining and gaudy; something superficially shining and showy, or having a false luster, and more gay than valuable.
   • William Cowper:

     O happy peasant! O unhappy bard! His the mere tinsel, hers the rich reward.

Translations

thin strips of a glittering, metallic material used as a decoration

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Chechen: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 彩條 (cmn), 彩条 (cmn) (cǎitiáo)

• French: clinquant (fr) m, guirlande (fr) f
• Georgian: ფოლგა (ka) (p'olga)

• German: Lametta (de) n
• Japanese: ティンセル (ja) (tinseru), 金属糸 (ja) (きんぞくいと, kinzoku ito)
• Polish: lameta (pl) f
• Romanian: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: мишура (ru) (mišurá) f, блёстки (ru) (bljóstki) f pl
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can

No. 1 refers to tinsel as a 'gauzelike cloth...' metalic woven into it. This material is called "Angel Hair,' & is rarely sold, because of slivers of glass that produce the metalic effect. Tinsel is also called 'icecicles,'that are hung as such, on individual tree limbs. Neither does the term refer to 'garlands,'that are long & are hung losely, surrounding the tree.

Adjective

tinsel (comparative more tinsel, superlative most tinsel)

1. Glittering, later especially superficially so; gaudy, showy.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.1:

     Her garments all were wrought of beaten gold, / And all her steed with tinsell trappings shone [...].

Verb

tinsel (third-person singular simple present tinsels, present participle tinselling (UK) or tinseling (US), simple past and past participle tinselled (UK) or tinseled (US))

1. (transitive) To adorn with tinsel; to deck out with cheap but showy ornaments; to make gaudy.
   • Alexander Pope:

     She, tinseled o'er in robes of varying hues.

2. (figuratively, transitive) To give a false sparkle to (something).

Derived terms

• tinseled, tinselled
• tinselly
• Tinseltown

See also

• trimmings
• trim up

References

• tinsel in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

• enlist
• inlets
• leints
• listen
• silent