paillette

noun

pail·​lette pī-ˈyet How to pronounce paillette (audio)
pā-ˈyet,
pə-ˈlet How to pronounce paillette (audio)
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 Page tells me that the spring 2023 runways glistened with sequins, paillettes, and crystal. ELLE, 12 Apr. 2023 Every last inch of her gleams: her hair, her eyes, her teeth, the beads and paillettes that shimmer with each hip thrust or arm swing, but, most of all, her skin. Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2023 The dress is laced up the back and covered in scale-like paillettes; Bieber accessorized with diamond ear cuffs and dark silk heels. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 15 Mar. 2023 The train of black feather-like paillettes elevated the look to luxe. Maane Khatchatourian, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paillette.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from paille straw — more at pallet

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of paillette was in 1843

Dictionary Entries Near paillette

Cite this Entry

“Paillette.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paillette. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

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