mathom

Examples of mathom in a sentence

• When packing, start with treasures such as vases and art objects (of course, these are now going into the mathom box, [...]) ...1994, Elaine St. James, Simplify Your Life:
• The first person to put a marker on a piece of land or ancestral mathom and say 'this is mine' was the first owner of capital, the first thief, the first magician.1999, Stephen R. L. Clark, The Political Animal:
• They store seemingly useless articles for future use, calling their collected stuff mathom.2003, Ralph C. Wood, The Gospel According to Tolkien:
• A mathom is an object you don't want but can't stand to give away or throw away.2006, Gail Carson Levine, Writing magic:

Synonyms of mathom

• trinket

Forms of mathom

Origin of mathom

Learned borrowing from Old English māþum (“treasure, object of value, jewel, ornament, gift”), from Proto-Germanic *maiþmaz (“present, gift”); introduced by J. R. R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings with the conceit that it was a translation of his invented language Adûni's kast, a word used by Hobbits as a generic name for items which they were unwilling to throw away, but for which they had no use.

Questions about mathom

What does mathom mean?

Mathom means a trinket or piece of bric-a-brac; a knick-knack, often used in regifting.

How do you use mathom in a sentence?

When packing, start with treasures such as vases and art objects (of course, these are now going into the mathom box, [...]) ...

What part of speech is mathom?

Mathom is a noun.

How do you pronounce mathom?

Mathom is pronounced /ˈmæðəm/.

What is the plural of mathom?

The plural of mathom is mathoms.