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vitrine

noun
vi·​trine | \ və-ˈtrēn How to pronounce vitrine (audio) \

Definition of vitrine

: a glass showcase or cabinet especially for displaying fine wares or specimens
Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about vitrine

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Did You Know?

The history of "vitrine" is clear as glass. It comes to English by way of the Old French word vitre, meaning "pane of glass," from Latin vitrum, meaning "glass." "Vitrum" has contributed a number of words to the English language besides "vitrine." "Vitreous" ("resembling glass" or "relating to, derived from, or consisting of glass") is the most common of these. "Vitrify" ("to convert or become converted into glass or into a glassy substance by heat and fusion") is another. A much rarer "vitrum" word - and one that also entered English by way of "vitre" - is vitrailed, meaning "fitted with stained glass."

Examples of vitrine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 An adjacent vitrine has been set aside for related skeletal specimens that the museum hopes will be provided by Senate members in the next few decades. — Sarah Hutto, The New Yorker, "Archaeologists Discover Long-Sought-After Racist Bone," 20 July 2019 Greeting guests upon entry were lively flutes of bubbles, the perfect thing to sip while peering into vitrines of vintage gems, which were all encased in custom art installations by contemporary artist Sammy Slabbinck. — Vogue, "Dover Street Market and Sotheby’s Host a Glittering Dinner," 5 Dec. 2018 In another room stand three empty vitrines on wooden pedestals. — Sharon Mizota, latimes.com, "If an artist sets up a homeless camp inside a blue-chip art gallery, does anyone care?," 18 June 2019 To see the jewelry move and catch the light was very different from viewing it behind glass or in a vitrine, particularly because de Castellane designs her pieces to actually be worn and loved—not locked away. — Emily Farra, Vogue, "J’Aime Gem Dior: Victoire de Castellane Celebrates 20 Years of Dior Jewelry in Venice," 14 June 2019 Jayne recalls a similar incident, of a client whose home had a vitrine which every generation had put things in. — Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, "Why These Designers Say You Should Embrace Clutter," 13 May 2019 The vitrines with his walking sticks, watercolor brushes, smeary palette; a fishing net on the wall; and a room playing three early 20th-century documentary films of Maine feel as if meant to disguise threadbare patches in the curatorial thesis. — Richard B. Woodward, WSJ, "‘Winslow Homer and the Camera: Photography and the Art of Painting’ Review: An Unclear Creative Influence," 4 July 2018 Hanging directly above the bar is Hirst’s Here for a Good Time, Not a Long Time (2018), which includes one vitrine of a marlin skeleton, and another with a taxidermy marlin. — Lucia Tonelli, ELLE Decor, "Damien Hirst Designs the World’s Most Expensive Hotel Suite in Las Vegas," 4 Mar. 2019 The limited edition commemorative collection had begun to dominate the vitrines. — Stellene Volandes, Town & Country, "Behind the Legendary Good Fortune of Van Cleef's Alhambra," 1 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vitrine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of vitrine

1880, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for vitrine

French, from vitre pane of glass, from Old French, from Latin vitrum

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