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• arras
  arras

  noun

  a rich tapestry.
• Arras
  Arras

  noun

  a city in and capital of Pas-de-Calais, in N France: battles in World War I.

arras

¹ American  

[ar-uhs] / ˈær əs /

noun

1. a rich tapestry.

2. a tapestry weave.

3. a wall hanging, as a tapestry or similar object.

4. Theater. a curtain suspended loosely across a stage and used as a backdrop or part of a stage setting.

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arras ² American  

[ahr-ahs, ahr-rahs] / ˈɑr ɑs, ˈɑr rɑs /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. a gift presented at marriage by a husband to his wife in consideration of her dowry.

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Arras ³ American  

[ar-uhs, a-rahs] / ˈær əs, aˈrɑs /

noun

1. a city in and capital of Pas-de-Calais, in N France: battles in World War I.

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Arras ¹ British  

/ arɑs, ˈærəs /

noun

1. a town in N France: formerly famous for tapestry; severely damaged in both World Wars. Pop: 40 590 (1999)

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arras ² British  

/ ˈærəs /

noun

1. a wall hanging, esp of tapestry

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Other Word Forms

• arrased adjective

Etymology

Origin of arras¹

1375–1425; late Middle English, named after Arras

Origin of arras²

< Spanish: literally, earnest money. See earnest ²

Explanation

An arras is a tapestry that's hung as a decoration, especially one decorated with complex stitched designs. There's a famous reference to an arras in Shakespeare's play Hamlet, when Polonius hides in an alcove behind an arras to eavesdrop. Imagine the kind of heavy woven tapestries you might see in a museum when you think of an arras. The name comes from the French city where they were first made, Arras in northern France. The original term for this fabric was draps d'arras, or "cloths of Arras."

Example Sentences

Staged moments — characters eavesdropping like Polonius behind his arras, lovers exchanging vows — baldly recall the genre’s cliches.

From Washington Post • Aug. 10, 2015

But I don't like it when they jump up and down behind the arras like Polonius in Hamlet, trying to distract my attention from the poor old actors.

From The Guardian • Jul. 4, 2012

So frequently does the play come up, indeed, that it has become a tradition at the annual Critics' Circle dinner to nail one Sambuca for every arras you've seen stabbed.

From The Guardian • Oct. 11, 2010

There is much talk of a design in the arras.

From Time Magazine Archive

An arras hanging on a wall billows, as if stirred by a strong wind, and from behind it scurries a creature with the face of my father.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Related Words

• drapery