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  1. mirliton love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. Southern Louisiana See chayote.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. A kind of toy flute. See kazoo.
  2. n. The chayote, Chayota edulis.

Wiktionary

  1. n. A pear-shaped vegetable or its vine; the chayote.
  2. n. music The eunuch flute, a kind of membranophone.
  3. n. An 18th-century hussar hat resembling a slightly conical shako or tall fez.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. A kind of musical toy into which one sings, hums, or speaks, producing a coarse, reedy sound. It is also called a kazoo.
  2. n. same as chayote{2}.

Etymologies

  1. From French. Coined as a nonce to advertise a new women's bonnet, mirliton came to be applied to any trifle or trinket before acquiring several specific meanings. Compare the English word folderol. (Wiktionary)
  2. Louisiana French, from French, toy reed flute, tube-shaped pastry, perhaps of imitative origin. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “The word mirliton comes from a French word for a kazoo-type flute, although the squash itself is often called a "christophene" in France.”

    The Wall Street Journal: Week in Words

  • “Winning at Squash mirliton That last item can be replaced by a serrano; the mirliton squash also known as a chayote can be swapped for bitter melon varietals.”

    The Wall Street Journal: Week in Words

  • “That last item can be replaced by a serrano; the mirliton squash also known as a chayote can be swapped for bitter melon varietals.”

    The Wall Street Journal: The Tailgaters' Favorite Gone Frou-Frou

  • “Â The kazoos closest instrument is an African horn-mirliton.”

    Have A Wonderful National Kazoo Day! | myFiveBest

  • “A member of the cucumber family, many Americans know mirliton as chayote squash or mango squash, since it originated in Mexico; in the Louisiana Bayou, Cajuns often use its French name, christophene.”

    Simon & Schuster: One Big Table

  • “Toward the end of March he plants the seedlings along with row upon row of okra, cucumbers, snap beans, purple hull peas, field peas, corn, and mirliton.”

    Simon & Schuster: One Big Table

  • “Some pronounce mirliton as spelled, while others say “mella-ton.””

    Simon & Schuster: One Big Table

  • “I plan to use my SYW Black Hussars in the Napoleonic game since some of the Prussian hussars still wore the mirliton in 1806 although the Black Hussars were switching over to the shako.”

    1806 Prussian Update

  • “They were followed by the elite regiment of the von Reusch or Black Hussars HR5, decked out in their fearsome all black uniforms and mirliton hats bearing the dreaded death's head on the front of the cap.”

    Archive 2008-01-01

  • “Eureka will have a substantial range of Saxon cavalry which will include cuirassiers, light dragoons, von Bruhl dragoons and hussars in both mirliton and colpacks.”

    Archive 2008-01-01

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Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. chayote

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‘mirliton’ has been looked up 2594 times, loved by 2 people, added to 12 lists, commented on 1 time, and has a Scrabble score of 10.