cutwork
Americannoun
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openwork embroidery in which the ground fabric is cut out about the pattern.
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fretwork formed by perforation or cut in low relief.
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ornamental needlework in which spaces are cut from a ground material into which are inserted decorative figures that were made separately.
noun
Etymology
Origin of cutwork
First recorded in 1425–75, cutwork is from late Middle English cut werk. See cut, work
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.
Some had a decorative folded border or verses on the folds; cutwork resembling lace; or watercolor decorations of pierced hearts, lovebirds and flowers.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2023
Still, New Wave Director Jacques Rivette knew that getting La Religieuse as a film past the heavy-handed censors of the Gaullist republic would require some fancy cutwork.
From Time Magazine Archive
“We’re hoping she takes a ribbon in cutwork, although her lace making is progressing as well.”
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
The ancient collar from the South Kensington Collection, page 149, shows some of the finest developments of cutwork, when the foundation of linen was entirely dispensed with.
From Chats on Old Lace and Needlework by Lowes, Emily Leigh
Bed-hangings, curtains, and furniture-coverings were covered with alternate squares of lacis and cutwork.
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.
