bijou
/ˈbiːʒuː
/adjective chiefly British
(Especially of a house or flat) small and elegant: a bijou residence...
- When the swinging Sixties brought a revival, the shabby stables found themselves transformed into chic, bijou dwellings for artists, authors and those with general designs on being fabulous.
- When the handsome Hollywood actress Brooke Shields, left, starred as Roxie Hart in the West End musical Chicago over the summer, she picked out a bijou house in Marylebone as her home.
- Inner-city sheds are being sold for a king's ransom, large back gardens are being turned into multi-unit developments and smart operators in posh districts are turning out-houses and garages into bijou dwellings.
Synonyms
small, little, compact, snug, cosy;
desirable, sought-after;
elegant, stylish, chic, fashionable
noun (plural bijoux pronounced same) archaic
A jewel or trinket.For street fashion and younger boutiques - plus antiques and bijoux objets - head for the pedestrianised area around Via dei Fiori Chiari (by the Brera museum) and its northern extension in Via Solferino....
- Across the street, an imaginative assortment of silver bijoux, beads and candles awaits you at Punto Magico.
- For evidence of good standing in the realm of higher culture, he amasses painting, statuary, and artistic bijoux, as his stocks and bonds certify to his standing in the economic world.
Origin
French, from Breton bizou 'finger ring', from biz 'finger'.