bijou

[ bee-zhoo, bee-zhoo ]
See synonyms for bijou on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural bi·joux [bee-zhooz, bee-zhooz]. /ˈbi ʒuz, biˈʒuz/.
  1. a jewel.

  2. something small, delicate, and exquisitely wrought.

Origin of bijou

1
1660–70; <French <Breton bizou (jeweled) ring, derivative of biz finger; cognate with Cornish bisou finger-ring, derivative of bis finger

Words Nearby bijou

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bijou in a sentence

  • The footman showed him into the small drawing-room of the baroness, a bijou of a room, furnished in gilt and crimson satin.

    Other People's Money | Emile Gaboriau

British Dictionary definitions for bijou

bijou

/ (ˈbiːʒuː) /


nounplural -joux (-ʒuːz)
  1. something small and delicately worked, such as a trinket

  2. (modifier) often ironic small but elegant and tasteful: a bijou residence

Origin of bijou

1
C19: from French, from Breton bizou finger ring, from biz finger; compare Welsh bys finger, Cornish bis

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