minaudière
or min·au·diere
[ mee-noh-dyair; French mee-noh-dyer ]
/ ˌmi noʊˈdyɛər; French mi noʊˈdyɛr /
noun, plural min·au·dieres [mee-noh-dyairz; French mee-noh-dyer] /ˌmi noʊˈdyɛərz; French mi noʊˈdyɛr/.
a small, sometimes jeweled case for a woman's cosmetics or other personal objects, often carried as a handbag.
Origin of minaudière
1935–40 (earlier in sense “coquette”); < French
minaudière orig., coquette, person with affected manners, noun use of feminine of
minaudier affected, equivalent to
minaud(er) to have an affected manner (verbal derivative, with
-aud adj. suffix (see
ribald), of
mine facial expression, probably < Breton
min muzzle) +
-ier
-ier2
Words nearby minaudière
minas basin,
minas de ríotinto,
minas gerais,
minatitlán,
minatory,
minaudière,
mince,
mince matters,
mince pie,
mincemeat,
mincer