Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Etui too

New words I've learned from looking into sewing notions: 
chatelaine (posted an octopus one the other day), 
and, today, etui.

Etui: (ā twee) a small case for sewing supplies, cosmetics, and other little things, often ornamental
It has a fun etymology, with an unexpected relative:
early 17th century: from French étui, from Old French estui ‘prison,’ from estuier ‘shut up, keep.’
Compare with tweezers.
Nähetui is "sewing kit" in German, as you can see on this appealing one from Laura's German boyfriend, Lutz. It's ornamental and functional--all is tidy and correct inside, but it shows use.





2 comments:

Michael Leddy said...

Sherlock Holmes would deduce that you’re not a crossword fan: etui is pretty common there, for the obvious reason.

Fresca said...

Sherlock Holmes would be correct!