Noun

(en noun)

A trifle; an unsubstantial thing.

* 1850 , Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine (volume 68, page 226)

* 1879' (6 Sep), "Railway Projects", ''Railway World'', ' 5 (36): 853

The repayment of the cost of the western part of the road, whatever it might be, would be a mere bagatelle , for the older provinces would have been enriched by the stimulus given to business by the opening up of the plains,

*

A short piece of literature or of instrumental music, typically light or playful in character.

* 2007 , Norman Lebrecht, The Life And Death of Classical Music , page 7

One afternoon in 1920. a young pianist sat down in a shuttered room in the capital of defeated Germany and played a Bagatelle by Beethoven.

A game similar to billiards played on an oblong table with pockets or arches at one end only.

* 1895 , Hugh Legge, "The Repton Club", in'' John Matthew Knapp (ed.), ''The Universities and the Social Problem , page 139

For some time they did nothing save box, but at last they went down to the bagatelle' room, and played '''bagatelle''' for a bit. They marked this advance in civilization by prodding holes in the ceiling with the ' bagatelle cues, which gave the ceiling the appearance of a cloth target after a Gatling gun had been shooting at it.

Any of several smaller, wooden table top games developed from the original bagatelle in which the pockets are made of pins; also called pin bagatelle, hit-a-pin bagatelle, jaw ball.

Noun

An English dessert made from a mixture of thick custard, fruit, sponge cake, jelly and whipped cream.

An insignificant amount.

* {{quote-book, year=1928, author=Lawrence R. Bourne

, title=Well Tackled! , chapter=17 citation , passage=Commander Birch was a trifle uneasy when he found there was more than a popple on the sea; it was, in fact, distinctly choppy. Strictly speaking, he ought to have been following up the picket–boat, but he was satisfied that the circumstances were sufficiently urgent for him to take risks.}}

Anything that is of little importance or worth.

* Shakespeare

Trifles light as air / Are to the jealous confirmation strong / As proofs of holy writ.

* Drayton

with such poor trifles playing

A particular kind of pewter.

(uncountable) Utensils made from this particular kind of pewter.