English Explanatory Dictionary

mathom

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A trinket or piece of bric-a-brac; a knick-knack, often used in regifting.

Pronunciation

/ˈmæðəm/

Word forms

mathom mathoms madme mathum

Etymology

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.

Synonyms

trinket
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