pom-pom1
/ˈpɒmpɒm
/(also pompon)
noun
1A small woollen ball attached to a garment, especially a hat, for decoration.In contrast round toed flats will be adorned with pompoms, rosebud trims, grosgrain bows and Tyrolean ribbons....
- Terri's was the same dress she wore last year, red with white pompoms dangling off the hem.
- Even now, when I saw the kids in their faux fur-lined coats and pompom topped hats, I could remember the way Rob had knelt to the sidewalk, had so delicately touched one of the young girl's silken braids.
1.1A large round cluster of brightly coloured streamers waved in pairs by cheerleaders.Jumping around in a miniskirt, waving pompons when you're ten is cute; but when you're fifteen, well, it goes beyond cute....
- And Ms Mason, a partner at Sanderson's, stressed there was more to being a cheerleader than simply waving pompoms in the air.
- Some of the crowd even stood as the players entered, some young girls flailing around with blue colored pompoms.
1.2A dahlia, chrysanthemum, or aster with small tightly clustered petals: [as modifier]: pompom and border dahlias...
- Small, miniature, and pompon dahlias should be about 2' apart.
- Other China asters resemble pompons or peonies.
- Double-petalled, bright lemon-yellow blossoms resembling pompoms grace the top of this very tall plant.
Origin
Mid 18th century (originally denoting a bunch of ribbons, feathers, etc. worn by women in the hair or on a dress): French pompon, of unknown origin.
pom-pom2
/ˈpɒmpɒm/noun British
An automatic quick-firing two-pounder cannon of the Second World War period, typically mounted on a ship and used against aircraft.Beyond here, towards the bow, a quadruple two-pounder anti-aircraft or pom-pom gun system with a stack of ammunition ready by its side lends something of a Chuuk lagoon atmosphere to the dives....
- The pompom (or pom-pom, pom pom, etc.) was a 40.5mm automatic cannon that fired 2-lb. (2pdr) ammunition.
- A lighter version of the Maxim pom-pom did see service: the Sockelflak.
Origin
Late 19th century: imitative of the sound of the discharge.