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>