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girandole (JIR-uhn-dohl) - n., a radiating and showy composition, such as a rotating display of fireworks; an ornamental branched candlestick, sometimes backed by a mirror; a pendant earring usually with three ornaments hanging from a central piece.
The theme running through those disparate things is they're all designed to provoke oohs and aahs, and have some sort of radiating form. The fireworks display is more commonly now called a pinwheel or Catherine wheel. The candleholder is the most common use these days, but I stumbled over it in the earring meaning, which made me go "there's a word for that!" In use since around 1630, taken from French, from Italian girandola, from girare, turn in a circle/revolve, from Late Latin gȳrāre, from gȳrus, a circular track (for horses)/ring/circle, from Greek gŷros, ring/circle, from PIE root *gew-, to curve/bend.
---L.
The theme running through those disparate things is they're all designed to provoke oohs and aahs, and have some sort of radiating form. The fireworks display is more commonly now called a pinwheel or Catherine wheel. The candleholder is the most common use these days, but I stumbled over it in the earring meaning, which made me go "there's a word for that!" In use since around 1630, taken from French, from Italian girandola, from girare, turn in a circle/revolve, from Late Latin gȳrāre, from gȳrus, a circular track (for horses)/ring/circle, from Greek gŷros, ring/circle, from PIE root *gew-, to curve/bend.
---L.
