needlepoint
Americannoun
adjective
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done or executed in needlepoint.
a needlepoint cushion.
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noting a lace needlepoint lace in which a needle works out the design upon parchment or paper.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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embroidery done on canvas with the same stitch throughout so as to resemble tapestry
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another name for point lace
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of needlepoint
Explanation
Needlepoint is a traditional art form that's done with thread on thick fabric. If your grandmother has a pillow with "Home Sweet Home" stitched on it, it's probably a work of needlepoint. When you do needlepoint, you use various colors of a thick thread or an even thicker yarn, stitching it through a stiff material with an open, grid-like weave. Using a pattern or your own design, your needlepoint creation might, for example, be a portrait of a cat you can on the wall or make into a pillow. Another type of needlepoint is lace that's made with a needle — this is the earlier meaning of the word, from the mid-1800s.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She received first place from the American Needlepoint Guild for “Bickleton 2007.”
From Washington Times • Jan. 7, 2018
The inner parts of the pattern in Needlepoint and Pillow lace are filled in with various ornamental stitches, showing an amazing variety of design.
From Chats on Old Lace and Needlework by Lowes, Emily Leigh
Needlepoint lace is made with needle and thread and principally in buttonhole stitches.
From Chats on Old Lace and Needlework by Lowes, Emily Leigh
Lace-making naturally falls into two classes—the Needlepoint and Pillow varieties.
From Chats on Old Lace and Needlework by Lowes, Emily Leigh
The method of making Needlepoint or woven ground often decides the date and class of the lace.
From Chats on Old Lace and Needlework by Lowes, Emily Leigh
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
