girandole

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 4, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>girandole</strong> &#149; \JEER-un-dohl\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><em>Girandole</em> can refer to an ornamental branched candlestick, as well as to a pendant earring usually with three ornaments hanging from a central piece. In its earliest uses, <em>girandole</em> referred to a radiating and showy composition, such as a cluster of skyrockets fired together for a fireworks display, or to a fountain issuing a rising column of spreading water. </p> <p>// The newlyweds found the most gorgeous <em>girandole</em> at an antique sale and couldn’t wait to put it in their living room.</p> <p>// She admired the <em>girandoles</em> and topknots of the characters in her favorite <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/period%20piece">period piece</a>.</p> <p>// Seeing <em>girandoles</em> light up the night sky was his favorite part of the holidays. </p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/girandole">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"A <em>girandole</em> is no newcomer to the jewellery scene: it became fashionable in the 18th century—think rose-cut diamond drops twinkling in a candle-lit room. Sticklers for accuracy will want a central design motif, often a bow or similar, with three pear-shaped stones suspended underneath. David Morris, Gucci and Graff have some great modern-day versions. But the most covetable of all? Rare originals that occasionally come up for auction, having survived centuries without being separated." — Jessica Diamond, <em>The Times</em> (London), 28 Nov. 2022</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>The word <em>girandole</em> can refer to several different things, all of them designed to provoke oohs and aahs. The earliest uses of <em>girandole</em> in English, in the 17th century, refe