vitrine

noun

vi·​trine və-ˈtrēn How to pronounce vitrine (audio)
: a glass showcase or cabinet especially for displaying fine wares or specimens

Did you know?

The history of "vitrine" is clear as glass. It comes to English by way of the Old French word vitre, meaning "pane of glass," from Latin vitrum, meaning "glass." "Vitrum" has contributed a number of words to the English language besides "vitrine." "Vitreous" ("resembling glass" or "relating to, derived from, or consisting of glass") is the most common of these. "Vitrify" ("to convert or become converted into glass or into a glassy substance by heat and fusion") is another. A much rarer "vitrum" word - and one that also entered English by way of "vitre" - is vitrailed, meaning "fitted with stained glass."

Examples of vitrine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Flanking the feature is a small vitrine with an illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy. Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 6 July 2024 The campaign takes inspiration from the window designs of Gene Moore, revealing the untold stories behind Tiffany & Co.’s most definitive jewelry collections and modernizing a series of vitrines with fresh storytelling. Thomas Waller, WWD, 3 Sep. 2024 The exhibition’s organizers, Mami Kataoka and Hirokazu Tokuyama, had wanted to show a selection of these works in vitrines, Gates said. Siddhartha Mitter, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2024 Later on, there is a Jeff Koons balloon dog as well as one of his sculptures featuring basketballs floating in a vitrine. Sarah Douglas, ARTnews.com, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for vitrine 

Word History

Etymology

French, from vitre pane of glass, from Old French, from Latin vitrum

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of vitrine was in 1880

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Cite this Entry

“Vitrine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vitrine. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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