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Glite Dictionary
🍀 A good luck charm 🤖 A team symbol 📚 A kids magazine
billiken

billiken

1 9.9
A small doll people carry for good luck
  • noun
  • /ˈbɪlɪkən/
  • Archaic
: billiken
  • During the fair, I bought a small billiken figure as a souvenir to remind me of my trip.

Examples

  • She placed a billiken on her shelf for good luck.

  • She carried a small billiken in her pocket, hoping it would bring her good fortune.

  • The museum displayed an original billiken from the early 1900s among its collection of Americana.

  • Many people bought a billiken as a souvenir when visiting the fair.

  • Do you believe that a billiken can bring you fortune?

  • The charming billiken on her shelf is believed to bring good luck to her family.

  • In the early 20th century, many Americans kept a billiken in their homes for good fortune.

Synonyms

charm
vsbilliken
66 2.3

A small object believed to bring good luck

is a dolllike figure tied to early 20th century American popularity
good luck charm
vsbilliken
2 3.0

A small thing people keep because they believe it brings good luck

is a dolllike figure popular in early 20th century America, not any luck object

Surface Forms

billiken singular
billikens plural

Etymology

Billiken was a small charm doll first made in America in the early 1900s by artist Florence Pretz, who said she saw it in a 'dream'. The name seems to be an invented name, like a tiny Billy with a -ken ending, and people kept a Billiken as a sign of 'good luck'.