Clinquant
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Dutch metal. uncountable
- 2 Tinsel; glitter. uncountable
"Harrison came that day in a scarlett coate and cloake, both laden with gold and silver lace, and the coate so cover'd with clinquant, that scarcely could one discerne the ground,"
- 1 Glittery; gleaming; sparkling; dressed in, or overlaid with, tinsel finery.
"Today the French, / All clinquant, all in gold, like heathen gods, / Shone down the English;"
- 1 glittering with gold or silver wordnet
Example
More examples"Today the French, / All clinquant, all in gold, like heathen gods, / Shone down the English;"
Etymology
From French clinquant, from clinquer (“to clink”), from Dutch klinken (“to sound, ring, clink”), from Middle Dutch clinken, clingen, from Old Dutch *clingan, from Proto-West Germanic *klingan, from Proto-Germanic *klinganą (“to sound, ring”). Cognate with German klingen (“to sound”).
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.