Word for Wednesday: Bauble

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Our Word for Wednesday theme for December is Christmas decorations.

A decoration is something that is used to beautify a space. The word comes from the Latin ‘decorare’. 

Last week we looked at the word nutcracker and this week's Christmas decoration is bauble.

A bauble is brightly coloured glass or plastic orb that is hung on a Christmas tree and catches and reflects the lights in a room. Today, it is common for people to buy or make baubles that are personalised with names, special dates, or photos. The word also means trinket or toy. 

Bauble dates to the early-fourteenth century and comes from the Old French ‘baubel’ which means ‘children’s toy’. ‘Baubel’ may be related to the Latin ‘bellus’ meaning ‘pretty’. Another theory is that it's linked to the words ‘babe’ and ‘baby’. 

Have you read our other Christmassy Word for Wednesday posts?


08 Dec 2021
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