Word Study
curio
CIDE DICTIONARY
curio, n. [Abbreviation of curiosity.].
Any curiosity{3} or article of virtu; any object esteemed for its unusual nature. [1913 Webster]
"The busy world, which does not hunt poets as collectors hunt for curios ." [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
curio, n. (pl. -os) a rare or unusual object or person.
Etymology
19th-c. abbr. of CURIOSITY
THESAURUS
curio
a continental, a curse, a damn, a darn, a hoot, abnormality, anomaly, bagatelle, bauble, bean, bibelot, bit, brass farthing, button, cent, conversation piece, curiosity, exception, farce, farthing, feather, fig, fleabite, folderol, fribble, frippery, gaud, gewgaw, gimcrack, hair, halfpenny, hill of beans, improbability, jest, joke, kickshaw, knickknack, knickknackery, minikin, mockery, molehill, museum piece, nonesuch, oddity, peppercorn, picayune, pin, pinch of snuff, pinprick, pretty-pretty, prodigiosity, prodigy, rap, rarity, red cent, row of pins, rush, shit, snap, sneeshing, sou, strange thing, straw, toy, trifle, trinket, triviality, tuppence, two cents, twopence, whatnot, whim-whamFor further exploring for "curio" in Webster Dictionary Online