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bagatelle

Syllabification: (bag·a·telle)
Pronunciation: /ˌbagəˈtel/

Definition of bagatelle

noun

  • 1a thing of little importance; a very easy task:dealing with these boats was a mere bagatelle for the world’s oldest yacht club
  • 2a game in which small balls are hit and then allowed to roll down a sloping board on which there are holes, each numbered with the score achieved if a ball goes into it, with pins acting as obstructions.
  • 3a short, light piece of music, especially one for the piano.

Origin:

mid 17th century (bagatelle (sense 1)): from French, from Italian bagatella, perhaps from baga 'baggage' or from a diminutive of Latin baca 'berry'. bagatelle (sense 2) dates from the early 19th century

bagatelle in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of bagatelle in the British & World English dictionary
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