Word of the Day : September 28, 2018

trousseau \TROO-soh\ noun

Definition

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

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 not too surprising that truss is also a trousser descendant. A less common descendant of trousser is retroussé, meaning "turned up," as in a "retroussé nose." The ultimate origin of trousser is likely the Latin verb torquēre, which means "to twist." Torquēre has many descendants in the language, among them a number of "tort" words (distort, contort, retort, extort), torque, and torture.

Aired September 28, 2018

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