n. Something made or put together using whatever materials happen to be available: “Even the decor is a bricolage, a mix of this and that” (Los Angeles Times). [French, from bricoler, to tinker, potter about, from Middle French, to go back and forth, go here and there, from bricole, catapult, from Old Italian briccola, possibly from diminutive of bricco, billy goat, young male donkey, from Latin burrīcus, small horse; see BURRO. Alternatively Old Italian briccola, possibly from alteration (with Italian diminutive suffix -ola) of Langobardic *brihhil, breaker, smasher; see bhreg- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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