Main Entry:

¹tin·sel

Pronunciation:

\ˈtin(t)-səl also ˈtin-zəl\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English tyneseyle cloth interwoven with metallic thread, probably from Anglo-French tencelé, past participle of tenceler, estenceler to sparkle — more at stencil

Date:

1538

1 : threads, strips, or sheets of metal, paper, or plastic used to produce a glittering and sparkling appearance in fabrics, yarns, or decorations 2 : something superficially attractive or glamorous but of little real worth <disfigured by no gaudy tinsel of rhetoric or declamation — Thomas Jefferson>