bric-a-brac
UK /ˈbɹɪkəbɹæk/ · US /ˈbɹɪkəˌbɹæk/ noun
Forms bricabrac brick-a-brack
- noun Small ornaments and other miscellaneous display items of little value.
- noun (by extension) Any collection containing a variety of miscellaneous items; a hodgepodge, an olio.
Synonyms
brickety-brack knick-knacks novelty item bauble novelty fandangle fangle fizgig folderol gewgaw kickshaw knick-knack mathom tat tchotchke trangam trinket whim-wham mishmash oddments knickknack nicknack knickknackery whatnot
Antonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from French bric-à-brac (“miscellaneous items of little value”), apparently from à bricq et à bracq (“at random; haphazardly”); bricq and bracq are expressive onomatopoeias of obscure origin.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Miscellaneous curiosities and works of decorative art, considered collectively. A piece of bric-a-brac, any curious or antique article of virtu, as a piece of antiquated furniture or metal work, or an odd knickknack.
Etymology [F.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “bric-a-brac”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details