Girandole - plus, 7 Ways to Get Away From It All

[Merriam-Webster]( WORD OF THE DAY July 4, 2019 girandole [Audio pronunciation]( noun | JEER-un-dohl Definition 1 : a radiating and showy composition (such as a cluster of [skyrockets]( fired together) 2 : an ornamental branched candlestick 3 : a [pendant]( earring usually with three ornaments hanging from a central piece Scroll down for more about girandole TRENDING NOW: [gerrymander]( [gerrymandering]( [concentration camp]( [animus]( [SEE ALL [>]]( PEOPLE ARE READING [7 Ways to Get Away From It All]( [Clocking a Newer Sense of ‘Clock’]( [The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 6/28/19]( ['Trooper' vs. 'Trouper': Choose Your Winner]( WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE [Up in the Sky: A Quiz]( It's a bird? It's a plane? No, I'm really asking. What is it? [PLAY NOW]( Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try! [TAKE ME THERE [>]]( Did You Know? 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. 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." By the 18th century, girandole was being used for a branched candlestick, perhaps due to its resemblance to the firework. The word's use for a kind of earring was lit during the 19th century. Examples of GIRANDOLE "The centerpiece of the decorative program was the figure of Eternity seated on a triumphal chariot drawn by four horses, itself a fuoco d'artificio (fireworks spectacle), and flanked by two smaller girandoles of three hundred rockets each." — Kevin Salatino, Incendiary Art: The Representation of Fireworks in Early Modern Europe, 1997 "The magnificent hall hints at extravagance within: The walls are lined in pleated pistachio silk; … glimmering crystal girandoles stand sentry beside the fireplace." — Plum Sykes, Vogue, 19 Mar. 2018 Test Your Vocabulary Fill in the blanks to complete the name for a flat ornament of floral form that is used in sculpture or painting: a _ t _ e _ i _ n. [VIEW THE ANSWER [>]]( MORE WORD FUN: [WORD GAMES [>]]( [TRENDING NOW [>]]( [WORDS AT PLAY [>]]( FOLLOW US: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( SHARE: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [View this email in a web browser]( You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day. [Unsubscribe from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day]( [Manage your subscription settings]( Merriam-Webster, Inc. 47 Federal Street, P.O. Box 281 Springfield, MA, 01102, USA [www.merriam-webster.com]( | [Privacy Policy]( © 2019 by Merriam-Webster, Inc.