Thursday, March 21, 2013

Word of the Day -- Trousseau

A trousseau is the personal possessions of a bride usually including clothes, accessories, and household linens and wares.  It 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 perhaps not too surprising that "truss" is also a "trousser" descendant. "Trousser" itself is thought to have evolved from a Vulgar Latin word, "torsus," meaning "twisted." Another descendant of "trousser" is "retroussé," meaning "turned up," as in a "retroussé nose."

No comments:

Plywood Memories from Gencon to Vegas

  Out trip to Gencon took us up through the Arkansas Delta country, and into the boot of Missouri, across the Big Muddy and on into the spra...