Showcase

How to spell showcase

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce showcase

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does showcase mean?

1. verbTo present or display something prominently so its best qualities are seen.
2. nounAn event, setting, or display that presents something to advantage.

Showcase in a sentence

• verb

  The annual review is a chance to showcase the team's best work.

• noun

  The trade fair was a showcase for new kitchen appliances.

• verb

  The gallery wanted to showcase local photographers this spring.

• noun

  The jeweller arranged the rings in a lit showcase near the door.

Where does showcase come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a transparent English compound built from two old native words. 'Show' descends from Old English 'sceawian', meaning 'to look at' or 'to inspect', which over time shifted from the act of looking to the act of presenting something for others to look at. 'Case' here means a box or container, and it traces back through Old French 'casse' to the Latin 'capsa', a box or chest for holding things. The two were joined in the nineteenth century to name the glass-fronted cabinet that shopkeepers used to display goods. From that literal display cabinet the word broadened into a verb and a figurative noun, so that a concert or a report can now 'showcase' talent just as a glass case once showed off jewellery.

How the word is built

• show (display)
• case (box, container)