CASKET  , a small See also:

• BOX
• BOX (Gr. irl or, Lat. buxus, box-wood; cf. 2r6Eir, a pyx)

box or See also:

• COFFER (Fr. coffee, O. Fr. cofre or cofne, Lat. cophinus, cf. " coffin ")

coffer, commonly used for jewels, See also:

• MONEY

money, papers, or other See also:

• OBJECTS

objects of value . The See also:

• ETYMOLOGY (Gr. grvµos, true, and X6yos, "account)

etymology is doubtful . It is possibly a diminutive of " cask," a See also:

• BARREL (a word of uncertain origin common to Romance languages; the Celtic forms, as in the Gaelic baraill, are derived from the English)

barrel for See also:

• WINE (Lat. vinum, Gr. oivos)

wine or other liquor . The See also:

• SPANISH

Spanish casco meant also a See also:

• SKULL

skull, See also:

• HELMET (from an obsolete diminutive of O. Fr. helme, mod. heaume; the English word is " helm," as in O. Eng., Dutch and Ger.; all are from the Teutonic base hal-, pre-Teut. kal-, to cover; cf. Lat. celare, to hide, Eng. " hell," &c.)

helmet, or rind of an See also:

• ONION (Fr. oignon, Lat. unio, liberally unity, oneness, applied to a large pearl and to a species of onion)

onion, and is probably connected with cascar, tobreak open,Latin quassare,See also:

• FRENCH
• FRENCH, DANIEL CHESTER (1850– )
• FRENCH, NICHOLAS (1604-1678)

French casser, to break, shake . The French casque, casquet, of the same origin is only used of a helmet, and the sense of " small See also:

• CHEST (Gr. Kiarl, Lat. cista, O. Eng. cist, test, &c.)

chest " is not found in See also:

• LANGUAGES

languages other than See also:

• ENGLISH

English . See also:

• SKEAT, WALTER WILLIAM (1835– )

Skeat suggests that the word is a corruption of French cassette, diminutive of casse, box, Latin capsa, from capere, to hold, contain, cf . English " See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case ." See also:

• HISTORY

History and literature are full of references to the often disconcerting contents of these famous receptacles . The " Casket Letters " (q.v.) are one of the mysteries of history . Ha:'pagnon's casket plays an important See also:

• PART

part in See also:

• MOLIERE (1622-1673)

Moliere's L'Avare; See also:

• BLUEBEARD

Bluebeard gives his too-curious wife the keys of his caskets filled with See also:

• PRECIOUS (O. Fr. precios, mod. precieux, Lat. pretiosus, of high value or price, pretium)

precious stones; the contents of Sainte-Croix's casket brought about the trial and condemnation of the marquise de Brinvilliers, the poisoner . This very See also:

• ANCIENT
• ANCIENT (also spelt ANTIENT; derived, through the Fr. ancien, old, from the late Lat. antianum, from ante, before)

ancient piece of See also:

• FURNITURE (from " furnish," Fr. fournir)

furniture was no doubt derived from the chest, which was the See also:

• ORIGINAL

original See also:

• WARDROBE

wardrobe . It was often an See also:

• OBJECT

object of See also:

• GREAT

great value, covered with See also:

• IVORY (Fr. ivoire, Lat. ebur)
• IVORY, SIR JAMES (1765-1842)

ivory, See also:

• ENAMEL (formerly " amel," derived through the Fr. amail, emmll, esmail, from a Latin word smaltum, first found in a 9th-century life of Leo IV.)

enamel, or stamped See also:

• LEATHER (a word which appears in all Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Leder, Dutch leer or leder, Swed. leder, and in such Celtic forms as Welsh llader)
• LEATHER, ARTIFICIAL

leather, enriched with precious metals, or encrusted with jewels . One which belonged to St See also:

• LOUIS
• LOUIS (804–876)
• LOUIS (893–911)
• LOUIS, JOSEPH DOMINIQUE, BARON (1755-1837)
• LOUIS, or LEWIS (from the Frankish Chlodowich, Chlodwig, Latinized as Chlodowius, Lodhuwicus, Lodhuvicus, whence-in the Strassburg oath of 842-0. Fr. Lodhuwigs, then Chlovis, Loys and later Louis, whence Span. Luiz and—through the Angevin kings—Hungarian

Louis and is preserved in the Louvre is covered with enamelled See also:

• SHIELDS, JAMES (181b-1879)

shields of arms and other decorations .

In the 16th and 17th centuries See also:

• SECRET (Lat. secretum, hidden, concealed)

secret hiding-places were some-times in the thickness of the lid or in a false bottom .