spangle

[ spang-guhl ]

noun

1. a small, thin, often circular piece of glittering metal or other material, used especially for decorating garments.
2. any small, bright drop, object, spot, or the like.

verb (used with object)

, span·gled, span·gling.

1. to decorate with spangles.
2. to sprinkle or stud with small, bright pieces, objects, spots, etc.

verb (used without object)

, span·gled, span·gling.

1. to glitter with or like spangles.

spangle

/ ˈspæŋɡəl /

noun

1. a small thin piece of metal or other shiny material used as a decoration, esp on clothes; sequin
2. any glittering or shiny spot or object

verb

1. intr to glitter or shine with or like spangles
2. tr to decorate or cover with spangles

Derived Forms

• ˈspangly, adjective

Other Words From

• spangly adjective
• un·spangled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of spangle¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English noun spangel(e), equivalent to spange “spangle” (perhaps from Middle Dutch spange, spaenge “brooch, clasp,” or from Old Norse spǫng “clasp, buckle, spangle”) + -le -le ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of spangle¹

C15: diminutive of spange, perhaps from Middle Dutch: clasp; compare Old Norse spöng

Example Sentences

If confetti supplies have plummeted, if a spangle shortage now afflicts Manhattan, blame a tent at the southwestern corner of Lincoln Center.

From New York Times

It was always the cat eye in high-wattage spangle.

From Washington Post

Hampson was a high school senior in Spangle, Washington, when Nixon made the seven-day trip to China in 1972, the first visit by an American president following the 1949 communist revolution.

From Seattle Times

The ugliest might have come from The Spangle Record⁠, which wrote a scathing, personal attack on Davis, saying, “Mr. Davis was high cockalorem in the Palouse country,” an old phrase that means a little man who incorrectly has a very high opinion of himself; low-level and unimportant.

From Seattle Times

The field supervisor for Fish and Wildlife overseeing the project, Steve Spangle, was consistently backed by his colleagues there and by superiors at Interior.

From Los Angeles Times