: a glass showcase or cabinet especially for displaying fine wares or specimens
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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 WebThese are displayed lying flat in airtight vitrines.—Jason Farago, New York Times, 9 May 2024 The immersive show features fragile dresses inside airtight vitrines, overcoats growing grass, pat-’n-sniff walls and a hologram.—Jason Farago, New York Times, 9 May 2024 Bags also pack a clear vitrine, nestling one of the many ear sculptures.—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2023 These vitrines, which embody the film’s aesthetic—horror, viewed clinically—are featured in the film.—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2023 See all Example Sentences for vitrine
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vitrine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
French, from vitre pane of glass, from Old French, from Latin vitrum
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