Link Centre Dictionary

spangle

UK/ˈspæŋɡəl/ US/ˈspæŋɡl̩/ uncommon
noun (1) verb (2)

noun

1.

adornment consisting of a small piece of shiny material used to decorate clothing

Synonyms

verb

1.

glitter as if covered with spangles

2.

decorate with spangles

  • “the star-spangled banner”
Synonyms

Origin

The noun is derived from Middle English spangel (“small piece of ornamental metal, spangle; small ornament”) [and other forms], from spang (“small piece of ornamental metal, spangle; small ornament; type of bowl or cup”) + -el (diminutive suffix). Spang is derived from Middle Dutch spange, spaenge (“buckle, clasp; brooch; spangle”) (modern Dutch spang (“clasp; hook; metal hairband; metal pin”)), from Middle Low German spangel (“small chain or clasp”), from Proto-Germanic *spangō (“brooch; clasp”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)penh₁- (“to twist; to weave”). The English word is analysable as spang + -le (diminutive suffix). The verb is derived from the noun.

Phrases

  • gold spangle
  • spangle gold
  • spangled kookaburra
  • Star-Spangled Banner

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.