English → Latin
“tinsel” in Latin
micōto vibrate, quiver; to twinkle, glitter, flash, gleam, beam, shine, to be bright; to trembleaurumgold (as mineral or metal); gold (colour); any object made of gold, such as a gold coin or a gold ring
The English word tinsel itself goes back to Latin scintilla, through *stincilla.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
tinsel
PROP., *pannus spissiore bombyce textus et auro argentove pictus (brocade): *bracteola coruscans or micans (a spangle): *aurum or argentum tremulum (sparkling gold or silver on a dress, etc.).
Figuratively, res speciosa: mera species: nugae speciosae.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for tinsel?
- The usual Latin words for “tinsel” are micō, aurum. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.