oropel

tinsel; cheap glitter

noun oh-roh-PEL Rare

Origin: From Latin 'auripellum' (gold skin), from 'aurum' (gold) + 'pellis' (skin).

Usage Note

Oropel originally referred to a thin sheet of brass that imitated gold leaf, and it retains that sense of something flashy but worthless. In modern usage it is almost always figurative, describing superficial glamour or hollow prestige — el oropel del poder ('the tinsel of power'). It is a literary or journalistic register word, rarely heard in casual speech.

Examples

"Todo ese oropel esconde la mediocridad."

Natural Translation

All that glitter hides the mediocrity.

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