different between tinsel vs spangle

English

Etymology

From Middle French estincelle (“spark”) (compare French étincelle), from Latin scintilla; compare scintillate, stencil.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?t?n.s?l/
• Rhymes: -?ns?l

Noun

tinsel (usually uncountable, plural tinsels)

1. A shining material used for ornamental purposes; especially, a very thin, gauzelike cloth with much gold or silver woven into it; also, very thin metal overlaid with a thin coating of gold or silver, brass foil, or the like.
   • 1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe

     Who can discern the tinsel from the gold?
2. Very thin strips of a glittering, metallic material used as a decoration, and traditionally draped at Christmas time over streamers, paper chains and the branches of Christmas trees.
3. Anything shining and gaudy; something superficially shining and showy, or having a false luster, and more pretty than valuable.
   • 1782, William Cowper, Truth

     O happy peasant! O unhappy bard! His the mere tinsel, hers the rich reward.

Translations

Adjective

tinsel (not comparable)

1. Glittering, later especially superficially so; gaudy, showy.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.1:

     Her garments all were wrought of beaten gold, / And all her steed with tinsell trappings shone […]

Verb

tinsel (third-person singular simple present tinsels, present participle (UK) tinselling or (US) tinseling, simple past and past participle (UK) tinselled or (US) tinseled)

1. (transitive) To adorn with tinsel; to deck out with cheap but showy ornaments; to make gaudy.

   • She, tinseled o'er in robes of varying hues

2. (figuratively, transitive) To give a false sparkle to (something).

Derived terms

• tinseled, tinselled
• tinselly
• Tinseltown

See also

• trimmings
• trim up

References

• tinsel in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• ELINTs, SILENT, Teslin, enlist, inlets, leints, listen, silent

English

Etymology

From Middle English spangel (“a small piece of ornamental metal; a small ornament”); equivalent to spang +? -le.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?spæ?.??l/
• Rhymes: -æ???l

Noun

spangle (plural spangles)

1. A small piece of sparkling metallic material sewn on to a garment as decoration; a sequin.
2. Any small sparkling object.
   • 1645, Edmund Waller, “Of and to the Queene”, lines 35--38:

     Thus, in a starry night, fond children cry
     For the rich spangles that adorn the sky,
     Which, though they shine for ever fixed there,
     With light and influence relieve us here.

3. The butterfly, Papilio demoleus, family Papilionidae, of Asia.
4. (obsolete, slang) Money. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Translations

Verb

spangle (third-person singular simple present spangles, present participle spangling, simple past and past participle spangled)

1. (intransitive) To sparkle, flash or coruscate.
2. (transitive) To fix spangles to; bespangle; to adorn with stars

Derived terms

• bespangle
• spangled
• unspangled

Further reading

• spangle on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Pangles, Spangel, legspan