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doily or doy·ley [ doi -lee ] SHOW IPA
/ ˈdɔɪ li / PHONETIC RESPELLING
💼 Post-College LevelThis shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun, plural doi·lies.
any small, ornamental mat, as of embroidery or lace.
Archaic . a small napkin, as one used during a dessert course.
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Origin of doily First recorded in 1670–80; named after a London draper of the late 17th century
Words nearby doily d'oh ,
Doha ,
DOHC ,
Dohnányi ,
doiled ,
doily ,
do in ,
doing ,
doings ,
doink ,
Doisy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use doily in a sentence Like snowflakes, the designs of the doilies were both intricate and individual.
When I was very young, I would visit my maternal grandmother and marvel at the hand-tatted and crocheted doilies that adorned the arms and backs of her sofa and chairs.
The resulting bread was tangy and chewy, with crisp doily skirt edges from the melted cheese.
That explains the assertive bearing of the women in the “Sitting” series, in which the doilies become chairs, perhaps in an executive suite.
Never a public or private showoff, doilies and framed photos of deceased relatives were her notion of decor.
Somebody has to draw the line, and if it takes a 90-pound Jewish grandmother bedecked in a doily to do it, so be it.
All wear white gloves, have doily -adorned seats, and accept American Express.
She had arranged the jelly in a dainty dish, and now ran into the dining-room for a doily , which she wrapped about it.
Remove the glass and doily ; put it in front of your plate a little to the right.
If fruit is the first course, there should be at each place a fruit-plate with a doily , finger-bowl, and fruit-knife on it.
All such receptacles are placed on a small plate either with or without a paper doily of the right size.
Place a lace paper doily on the plate, stand the glass on this and lay a pink rose on the plate.
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British Dictionary definitions for doily
noun plural -lies or -leys
a decorative mat of lace or lacelike paper, etc, laid on or under plates
Word Origin for doily C18: named after Doily, a London draper
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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