ben trovato

[ben truh-vah-toh, ben traw-vah-taw]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

appropriate and characteristic even if untrue; happily invented or discovered.

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Word History and Origins

First recorded in 1770–75; from Italian: literally, “well found,” in full, Se non è vero, è molto ben trovato “If it isn’t true, it is very well found, happily invented,” a saying especially associated with Giordano Bruno, 16th-century Italian philosopher

bent out of shape bentwood

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