gewgaw

noun /ˈɡjuːɡɔː/

1. A showy trifle, a toy; a showy trinket, ornament or decoration.

   A heavy gewgaw called a crown.

Where it comes from

From earlier gugaw, gygaw, from Middle English givegove (“gewgaw, trifle”), a reduplication of Middle English give, geove (“gift”), from Old English giefu, geofu, geafu (“gift”), from Proto-Germanic *gebō (“gift”). Compare Icelandic gyligjöf (“showy gifts, gewgaw”). More at give.

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry gewgaw (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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