Word of the Day

: February 20, 2013

trousseau

noun TROO-soh

What It Means

: the personal possessions of a bride usually including clothes, accessories, and household linens and wares

trousseau in Context

I am fortunate to be in possession of various family heirlooms, including several items from my great-grandmother's trousseau.

"Kate will promise to love, comfort, honor and keep Prince William. And as the countdown continues, the princess bride is not withering under the strain, seen around town-shopping, perhaps, for her honeymoon trousseau." - From a report by Natalie Morales in the NBC News Transcripts, April 23, 2011

Did You Know?

"Trousseau" is a descendant of the French verb "trousser," meaning "to truss" or "to tuck up." Fittingly, a bride might truss, or bundle, a variety of items as part of her trousseau-and it is perhaps not too surprising that "truss" is also a "trousser" descendant. "Trousser" itself is thought to have evolved from a Vulgar Latin word, "torsus," meaning "twisted." Another descendant of "trousser" is "retroussé," meaning "turned up," as in a "retroussé nose."