Word
confetti
Phoneticscon·fet·ti
US/kənˈfɛti/
UK/kənfˈɛti/
Definitions
01festive paper scraps
n. small pieces of coloured paper thrown at weddings or parties to celebrate.
n. small bits of paper or metallic material thrown during celebrations, particularly weddings and parades. Uncountable in general usage.
“The guests threw colourful confetti over the couple as they left the church.”
“After the championship victory, the streets were carpeted in a thick layer of red and white confetti launched from the rooftops.”
02sugar-coated almonds
n. traditional Italian sweets made of almonds covered in sugar, often given at weddings.
n. sugar-coated almonds traditionally distributed at Italian weddings and other ceremonies. This sense reflects the word's Italian etymology.
“Each guest received a small bag of white confetti as a wedding favour.”
“The reception tables were decorated with ornate boxes containing traditional Italian confetti, symbolising health and wealth for the newlyweds.”
Archaic · Technical
Synonyms
03to scatter with paper
v. to cover a place or someone with small pieces of paper.
v. to scatter or disperse small fragments over a surface or person in a manner resembling confetti. Transitive use.
“The wind started to confetti the garden with fallen cherry blossom petals.”
“The explosion of the document shredder managed to confetti the entire office floor with tiny strips of sensitive data.”
Literary
Real-World Examples
“In his first weeks as prime minister, he threw out a confetti of new announcements.” Etymology
Borrowed (possibly via French) from Italian confetti (literally “confections”), used to describe sugar-coated almonds, and by extension things imitating them (like pellets of plaster), which were thrown in Italy during festivities like Carnival and weddings. (This practice is mentioned in English since at least the 1810s.) The French and the English adopted the practice of celebrating weddings and other festivities by throwing such candies, or (by the late 1800s) tiny pieces of colored paper symbolizing them, partially displacing their earlier practice of throwing rice.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/confetti