Etymology Map
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Bagatelle

3 stages from Italian to English.

Today it means something of little importance; a short light piece of music

Where does the word "bagatelle" come from? It comes from Italian bagattella, passing through French before entering English (1630s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
bagattella
Italian · 1500s
"trifle"
a trifle, perhaps from 'baga', a small bag or thing
2
Stage 2 of 3
bagatelle
French · 1600s
"trifle"
a trifle; Beethoven's 'Für Elise' is a piano bagatelle
3
Stage 3 of 3
bagatelle
English · 1630s
"trifle"
also the name of a table game from the 1800s, an ancestor of pinball
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Read the full story

Bagatelle’s story begins in Italian: bagattella meant “trifle.” A trifle, perhaps from 'baga', a small bag or thing. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in French as bagatelle. A trifle; Beethoven's 'Für Elise' is a piano bagatelle. It reached English by 1630s as bagatelle. Also the name of a table game from the 1800s, an ancestor of pinball. Today, bagatelle means something of little importance; a short light piece of music.