Ingrid LawDiane Wood MiddlebrookSusan Reed and Doris Bacon
Did you know?
Just as trinkets can dress up your shelves or coffee table, many words for "miscellaneous objects" or "nondescript junk" decorate our language. Knickknack, doodad, gewgaw, and whatnot are some of the more common ones. We also have gimcrack, bauble, and bibelot. While many such words are of unknown origin, we know that tchotchke comes from the Yiddish word tshatshke of the same meaning, and ultimately from a now-obsolete Polish word, czaczko. Tchotchke is a pretty popular word these days, but it wasn't commonly used in English until the 1970s.
Examples of tchotchke in a Sentence
Kayla Blanton, Outside Online, 4 Apr. 2025
The restaurant includes a replica of her television, and tchotchkes throughout the space.
—Cynthia J Drake, Southern Living, 30 Mar. 2025
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Conceal the clutter
Your brain is less likely to settle down if your nightstand is overflowing with tchotchkes, books, and empty water glasses.
—Miranda Silva, Architectural Digest, 17 Mar. 2025
In his free time, Tom enjoyed golf, cars, cocktails, puzzles, parties, and collecting hilarious tchotchkes.
—Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tchotchke
Cite this Entry
“Tchotchke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tchotchke. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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