arras
noun
a rich tapestry.
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arras
1 American
[ar-uhs]
/ ˈær əs /
noun
-
a rich tapestry.
-
a tapestry weave.
-
a wall hanging, as a tapestry or similar object.
-
Theater. a curtain suspended loosely across a stage and used as a backdrop or part of a stage setting.
arras
2
American
[ahr-ahs, ahr-r ahs]
/ ˈɑr ɑs, ˈɑr rɑs /
noun
(used with a singular verb)
Arras
3
American
[ar-uhs, a -rahs]
/ ˈær əs, aˈrɑs /
noun
Arras
1
British
/ arɑs, ˈærəs /
noun
arras
2
British
/ ˈærəs /
noun
Other Word Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing arras
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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Much Ado About Nothing
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The Taming of the Shrew
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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.
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
It is only possible to do the job properly from behind the arras.
From The Guardian • Oct. 9, 2010
There is much talk of a design in the arras.
From Time Magazine Archive
Gawaine sat gloomily on one of the side benches placed there for petitioners, with his arms folded and his head against the arras.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
