trousseau

noun

trous·​seau ˈtrü-(ˌ)sō How to pronounce trousseau (audio)
trü-ˈsō
plural trousseaux ˈtrü-(ˌ)sōz How to pronounce trousseau (audio)
trü-ˈsōz
or trousseaus
: 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.

Examples of trousseau in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web While there were plenty of places to shop for classic wedding dresses and bridal trousseau items, there were far fewer destinations to find pieces for the miscellaneous events surrounding the main event that have become increasingly standard. Elise Taylor, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2023 Also part of her wedding trousseau? Elise Taylor, Vogue, 14 July 2022 Embroidery conjures up images of vintage trousseaus and highly coveted handmade items available only to a lucky few. Maggie Gillette, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Mar. 2023 But the bride was allowed 100 extra ration coupons for her trousseau. Danica Kirka, Jill Lawless and Sylvia Hui, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Sep. 2022 Wallis Simpson, who orders many pieces for her trousseau from Schiaparelli, will be photographed in a lobster dress by Cecil Beaton for Vogue. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 1 July 2022 The divorce colonists who still refused to associate with the woman counted 15 new frocks—a wedding trousseau, to be sure. April White, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 May 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trousseau.' 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 Old French, diminutive of trousse bundle, from trousser to truss

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trousseau was in 1817

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Dictionary Entries Near trousseau

Cite this Entry

“Trousseau.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trousseau. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

trousseau

noun
trous·​seau ˈtrü-ˌsō How to pronounce trousseau (audio)
plural trousseaux -ˌsōz How to pronounce trousseau (audio) or trousseaus
: the clothes and personal possessions (as household linens) of a bride
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