paillette

noun

pail·​lette pī-ˈyet 

pā-ˈyet,

pə-ˈlet 

1

: a small shiny object (such as a spangle) applied in clusters as a decorative trimming (as on women's clothing)

2

: a trimming made of paillettes

Examples of paillette in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Guayabera-style shirts were embellished with paillette blossoms. —Guy Trebay, New York Times, 21 June 2023

The dress included pops of sequins and paillettes for pizzazz — perfect for the Great White Way. 21 Audra McDonald Audra McDonald wore a body-hugging blue dress on the 2023 Tony Awards red carpet. —Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 12 June 2023

On the makeshift dance floor’s margins, iridescent streamers and a screen of gold paillettes the size of macarons served as backdrops for attendees to strike their fiercest poses. —Anne Branigin, Washington Post, 24 May 2023

Sheer mermaid gowns and dresses with sinuous three-dimensional florets glimmered with paillettes and tulle. —Thomas Adamson, ajc, 4 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

French, from paille straw — more at pallet

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for paillette

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• brevet
• briquette
• brunet
• brunette
• burette