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Definition of "girandole" [girandole]

  • A composition or structure in radiating form or arrangement, such as a rotating display of fireworks. (noun)
  • An ornamental branched candleholder, sometimes backed by a mirror. (noun)
  • An earring that consists of a central piece with three smaller ornaments or stones hanging from it. (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.

Use "girandole" in a sentence
  • "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."
  • "By the 18th century "girandole" was being used for a branched candlestick, perhaps due to its resemblance to the 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" or "a circular or spiral motion or form.""
Words like "girandole"