Word of the Day: BAUBLE

Shiny trinket or toy

bauble (noun) - a showy trinket, ornament, or decoration, generally of little value [baw-buhl]

• bauble is another word for the balls and bulbs used as ornaments on a Christmas tree

BREAKDOWN: The word bauble comes to us from the Old French baubel meaning child's toy or trinket. However, its true origin likely resides in the Latin bellus meaning pretty, the source of the root BEL- meaning beautiful in words like belle, embellish, and bellissima. Bauble may just be the product of saying BEL- twice in a row.

“Talent for talent's sake is a bauble and a show. Talent working with joy in the cause of universal truth lifts the possessor to new power as a benefactor.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not derived from classical roots.]