bijou

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The Word of the Day for February 17 is:

bijou   \BEE-zhoo\    noun
    *1 : a small dainty usually ornamental piece of delicate workmanship : 
jewel 
     2 : something delicate, elegant, or highly prized

Example sentence:
     Some jewelers believe that women who buy their own bijoux are the next 
growth market.

Did you know?
     "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 (one closely related to 
Cornish and Welsh) 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 prehistoric monument). 

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.





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