Make Your Point > Archived Issues > BAGATELLE

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

connect this word to others: You might remember this exchange from Les Miserables, the musical:    Old woman: Come here, my dear. Let's see this trinket you wear, this bagatelle.    Fantine: Madame, I'll sell it to you.    Old woman: I'll give you four.    Fantine: That wouldn't pay for the chain!    Old woman: I'll give you five. You're far too eager to sell. It's up to you. Lesson learned: when driving down the price of a necklace, make it sound like junk by calling it a bagatelle. If the word "bagatelle" sounds to you like it should mean "little bag," you're onto something: that might be what it first meant, in its original Latin form. Instinctively we recognize that "-elle" or "-el" can mean "little," like how an organelle is a little organ; a panel is a little pane; a k_rn_l is a little corn or a tiny, central bit of something; and how--spoiler alert for tomorrow's issue--a citadel is a little city. That "-elle" or "-el" suffix is a diminutive one: one that makes the base word smaller, sometimes cuter. It's not the only diminutive suffix; we've got oodles of them, including:    "-ling" like in duckling,    "-ini" like in panini,    "-ie" like in Charlie,    "-y" like in kitty,     and "-ette" like in p__ette (literally a "small spade," but meaning "a range of different colors, or a range of different talents or techniques"). Can you recall that one? (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "BAGATELLE" We took this word from French, and the French took it from Italian, and the Italians may have taken it from Latin, where it might have meant "little bag" or "little berry." A bagatelle can be a light piece of piano music. And, bagatelle is a kind of tabletop game, like billiards. More generally, a bagatelle is a small thing that's not valuable and not important. Pronunciation: BAG uh TELL Part of speech: Noun, the countable kind: "this bagatelle," "these bagatelles." Other forms: Just the plural: "bagatelles." How to use it:  You can use this fun, graceful, sophisticated word to label physical objects: toys, decorations, cheap pieces of jewelry, random items on display in people's living rooms, etc. And, you can use this word to label abstract things: tiny fees and taxes, small distances or lengths of time, little chores or inconveniences, cheap throwaway novels and movies, little social gestures that are almost meaningless, etc. examples: "As lighthearted, late-summer escapism goes, 'Logan Lucky' is an amusing if convoluted and undisciplined bagatelle."    — Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post, 17 August 2017 "My horse was an excellent roadster; and I was expecting to do the fifty miles—a mere bagatelle to a South American steed—before sunset."    — Captain Mayne Reid, The Finger of Fate, 2011 has this page helped you understand "bagatelle"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "bagatelle" without saying "trinket" or "trifle." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) asks for (something valuable or significant), making it sound like a bagatelle." Example: "The sea witch asks Ariel for her voice, making it sound like a bagatelle. 'Now, I'm not asking much. Just a token, really.'" If you like, use this space to draft your sentence. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first. In August, we're playing the time-honored Game of Venery! We're inventing terms for groups of things: terms that James Lipton, the author of An Exaltation of Larks, calls "shards of poetry and truth." Example terms of venery include lovely ones like "a conflagration of fireflies" and silly ones like "a myopia of umpires," "a rash of dermatologists," and "an unemployment of graduates." In each issue this month, I'll offer two templates. Have fun filling them in and sharing your inventions with your family, being as lofty, silly, or bawdy as you like. In each subsequent issue, I'll list the actual terms that appear in Lipton's book. From the previous issue: 1. An undulation of _____ 2. A _____ of breakdancers The terms listed in the book are "an undulation of ballroom dancers" and "an oscillation of breakdancers." Try these today: 1. A paroxysm of _____ 2. A _____ of MC's (that is, Masters of Ceremonies: hosts of staged events or other performances) review this word: 1. The opposite of BAGATELLES is A. EMBERS. B. ESSENTIALS. C. OVERSIZED DUFFELS. 2. Most people fill _____ with bagatelles; she fills them with _____. A. ravioli .. Velveeta B. Christmas stockings .. gift cards C. their memories .. random bits of photographic detail 1. B 2. B a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.