curio en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈkjʊə̯ɹiˌəʊ̯/ (UK)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈkjɜːɹiˌəʊ̯/ (UK)
- /ˈkjɔːɹiˌəʊ̯/ (UK)
- /ˈkjʊrioʊ/ (General-American)
- /ˈkjə̯ɹiˌoʊ̯/ (General-American)
Etymology
Clipping of curiosity, 1851. Compare cabinet of curiosities and French objet de curiosité.
Meanings
-
A strange and interesting object; something that evokes curiosity.
upon his arrival, Lewis discovers that his uncle’s place is no threadbare bachelor pad. It’s a creaky old Victorian mansion, full of overstuffed chairs, flocked wallpaper, stained glass, creepy carnival curios, and dozens and dozens of clocks.
2018 September 19, Katie Rife, “Eli Roth, of all directors, brings Amblin magic to the kid-lit horror of The House With A Clock In Its Walls”, in The Onion AV Club, archived from the original on 20 Sep 2018:Staghorn ferns, with their antlerlike leaves, are really curios of ferndom and never fail to gain attention.
2013, Joan Lee Faust, The New York Times Garden Book, Revised:Video telephony is just about the only new technology from that particular movie that has appeared—and it was technically possible when the movie was showing. 2001 can be seen as a curio, but what about Star Trek?
2012 March 14, David Graeber, “Of Flying Cars and the Declining Rate of Profit”, in The Baffler:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| curios | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
curious · trinket · antique · cabinet of curiosities · curiosity
Synonyms
antiquity · trinket · collectible · oddity · knickknack
Translations (19)
es objeto curioso (strange and interesting object) · ru дико́вина (strange and interesting object) · es curiosidad (strange and interesting object) · cs kuriozita (strange and interesting object) · ro ciudățenie (strange and interesting object) · cmn 古玩 (strange and interesting object) · mi onge (strange and interesting object) · nl curiosum (strange and interesting object) · fi kummallisuus (strange and interesting object) · fi kummallinen esine (strange and interesting object) · ru ре́дкость (strange and interesting object) · nl curiositeit (strange and interesting object) · ru курьёз (strange and interesting object) · fi erikoisuus (strange and interesting object) · ja 骨董品 (strange and interesting object) · cmn 古董 (strange and interesting object) · ro curiozitate (strange and interesting object) · fi kuriositeetti (strange and interesting object) · ko 골동품 (strange and interesting object)