lorgnette means an opera glass with a handle. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 90 out of 100.
lorgnette is pronounced /ˈlɔː.njɛt/.
Why “lorgnette” is a great word
LORGNETTE — [Noun] A pair of eyeglasses or small opera glasses mounted on a single, elegant handle. From French *lorgnette*, from *lorgner* ("to take a sidelong look at, to ogle"), from Middle French *lorgne* ("squinting, cross-eyed"). Unlike a "monocle" (a solitary lens pinched in the socket) or "pince-nez" (which clips directly onto the nose), the lorgnette is an instrument of deliberate, theatrical observation. It is the faint click of the hinge opening, the cold weight of mother-of-pearl against a gloved palm, and the extended moment of scrutiny from across a gilded opera house—a small machinery of judgment that turns looking into a performance of cool remove.
Etymology
Borrowed from French lorgnette, from lorgner (“to take a sidelong look at”) (from Middle French lorgne (“crosseyed”)).
noun
- An opera glass with a handle.“In the valley, near the Acropolis, […] Athens itself could be vaguely made out with an ordinary lorgnette.”
- Elaborate double eyeglasses.