Definition of "bagatelle" [bag•a•telle]

• An unimportant or insignificant thing; a trifle. (noun)
• A short, light piece of verse or music. (noun)
• A game played on an oblong table with a cue and balls. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "A mercurial and fractured look at the bond between two brothers, this nouvelle vague-inflected bagatelle is played by two of France's indelible young actors, Romain Duris and Louis Garrel."
• "Contredanse (1827) seems to condense ballade and mazurka into a unit that Beethoven would likely have called a bagatelle, except the sweetness belongs to Chopin."
• "A bagatelle is a short piece of music, usually for piano, and with a light mellow character."