What is the literal meaning of the word "Confetti"?

Although concerns about litter and the environment now make some people think twice, brightly coloured confetti is still a regular sight at weddings and other celebrations. In English we generally use the word as a singular, but in fact (like "graffiti") it is a plural, and derives from the Italian meaning "little sweets". This is related to the now rather old fashioned English word "comfit".

The sweets in question were originally sugared almonds, also known as Jordan almonds (from their country of origin) and were connected with the Italian celebration of carnival, rather than with weddings. Readers may be interested to know that in Italian, the word generally applied to paper confetti is, in fact, "coriandoli" - a reference to the coriander seeds contained within the almonds.

The throwing of confetti at weddings became a tradition towards the end of the 19th century. Before that, in many places, rice, symbolising fertility, had been thrown at the happy couple.