mathom

noun

Etymology: Learned borrowing from Old English māþum (“treasure, object of value, jewel, ornament, gift”), from Proto-Germanic *maiþmaz (“present, gift”); introduced by J. R. R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings with the conceit that it was a translation of his invented language Adûni's kast, a word used by Hobbits as a generic name for items which they were unwilling to throw away, but for which they had no use.

1. A trinket or piece of bric-a-brac; a knick-knack, often used in regifting.

   “When the door of the mathom shop is closed and the Inhabitant leaves the print of his footsteps for a moment on the wooden stair, things pause. There is no movement, not even of time. The mathoms listen until, downstairs, carpets and rugs swallow the noises of living, [...]”

   “When packing, start with treasures such as vases and art objects (of course, these are now going into the mathom box, [...]) ... Now, when special occasions arise at which a gift would be appropriate, I search in our closet for a suitable mathom. I've also let my friends know that they are free to pass on (or possibly fob off) these "treasures" to someone else whenever appropriate.”