Skip to content

cachet

noun

  1. pharmaceutical capsule, compounded with starch mass
L317595 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /kæˈʃeɪ/ / /ˈkæʃ.eɪ/

noun

Etymology: Borrowed from French cachet, first appearing in Scottish English, from 1630.

  1. A seal, as of a letter.
  2. A special characteristic or quality; prestige, especially via association.

    I remember when this diner was a quiet hangout, but lately it seems to be losing its cachet.

    In fact, within the Waffen-SS as a whole, the carrying of a personal weapon such as a pistol or a submachine-gun in addition to or instead of the issue rifle became something of a cachet.

  3. A commemorative stamped design or inscription on an envelope, other than a cancellation or pre-printed postage.

    The Alcatraz pelican cachet turned out to have a unique history of its own which had been lost over the years. Master cachet designer and artist John Coulthard (1903-1966) of 17 Elm Street Modesto, California, was the creator of the stamp.

  4. A sealed envelope containing an item whose price is being negotiated.

    The most romantic rite of bargaining is the cachet; even its name suggests a thrilling secrecy. The cachet is used when a broker negotiates the sale of a diamond.

  5. A capsule containing a pharmaceutical preparation.

    In order to facilitate taking by the patient, powders are often ordered to be dispensed in cachets.

    One cachet on an empty stomach first thing in the morning, a second in one and a half hours, a third in one hour afterwards, and a fourth two hours later.

  6. A hidden location from which one can observe birds while remaining unseen.

    On my way back to my cachet I met another party of reed-buntings, one of which I bagged; then I sat in my hiding-place for an hour, waiting for geese that never came within range.

verb

Etymology: Borrowed from French cachet, first appearing in Scottish English, from 1630.

  1. To mark (an envelope) with a commemorative stamped design or inscription.