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Bijou (which can be pluralized as either bijoux or bijous) has adorned English since the late 17th century. We borrowed it from French, but the word ultimately traces to Breton, a Celtic language closely related to Cornish and Welsh and spoken by inhabitants of the Brittany region of northwest France. Our modern English word derives from Breton bizou, which means "ring." That history makes bijou a rare gem in English because, although the Breton people occupied part of England for many years before they were pushed into France by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th and 6th centuries, very few Breton-derived words remain in our language. (Another Breton descendant is menhir, a term for a kind of monolith.)
Examples of bijou in a Sentence
Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 15 Oct. 2025
One of Swaziland’s earliest foes was the South African Republic under Paul Kruger, who was president from 1883 and 1900 and whose desired inroads into this bijou country were later documented by Hamilton Sipho Simelane, in the Transafrican Journal of History.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 15 Aug. 2025
Jenner’s black velvet clutch was adorned with Schiaparelli’s signature keyhole bijou plate and gold embroideries.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 8 May 2025
Since Khouri officially launched her business with the opening of her atelier in 2013, she has become known for jewellery that sits somewhere between sculpture and bijou.
—Felix Bischof, theweek, 11 Oct. 2024
In 2018, Yum Brands’ Taco Bell launched a TV commercial for its then-new Nacho Fries that looked just like a sneak preview a viewer might see at the local bijou.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 5 Feb. 2024
Welcome to the world of From Lucie, Franc de Ferriere’s new bakery, which opened this past weekend in the East Village behind a bijou, mustard yellow storefront—and has already attracted lines around the block.
—Jordan Hernandez, Vogue, 19 Jan. 2023
Firstly, Rosemary, a bijou new riad with a calming courtyard and sunny rooftop, from Laurence Leenaert, the designer behind the LRNCE brand of ceramics and textiles.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Nov. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Bijou.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bijou. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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