doily

American  

[doi-lee] / ˈdɔɪ li /

Or doyley

noun

• doilies
  plural

1. any small, ornamental mat, as of embroidery or lace.

2. Archaic. a small napkin, as one used during a dessert course.

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doily British  

/ ˈdɔɪlɪ /

noun

1. a decorative mat of lace or lacelike paper, etc, laid on or under plates

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• doilies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of doily

First recorded in 1670–80; named after a London draper of the late 17th century

Explanation

A doily is a decorative piece of cloth or paper that's used on a fancy table, often under a bowl. If your mom's birthday breakfast spread doesn't look festive enough, you can dress it up with some doilies. Some doilies are made of lace, while paper doilies are patterned and cut to resemble lace. You might see a doily underneath a cake, or separating a cup of fruit from the saucer beneath it. The word doily comes from Doiley, the last name of a well-known London dry goods dealer in the 17th century. Originally, the word was an adjective describing suits or fabric, and later, from doily-napkin came the doily we know today.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

doily doilies

Kaur's exhibition includes family photos, an Axminster carpet, a vintage car covered in a giant doily and kinetic handbells.

From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2024

Some fell vertically like the traditional jabot, and others encircled her neck like a lace doily.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2020

But there’s nothing old-fashioned about a few heartfelt lines written out on a piece of paper — doily optional.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 11, 2020

When the novel begins, in nineteen-sixties England, she is a young homemaker with the personality of a lace doily: decorous, brittle, self-consciously antiquated.

From The New Yorker ● May 11, 2019

A small black bird flew past and, just for a moment, nipped at the knitted doily on the back of Zane s chair.

From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff

While live on the show, James produced "two little doilies", which he took as keepsakes from the day.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

She filled the place with antiques and doilies and Victorian-era wedding photos — some of which she bought on EBay — with unsmiling brides and grooms.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2023

It is doilies, snails, and DIY fairy spoons crafted from seashells.

From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2022

The critic Quinn Latimer once remarked on Cain’s compulsion toward seemingly “bad ideas,” such as attaching feathers or doilies to the surface of her paintings and drawings.

From New York Times ● Sep. 30, 2021

She turned to look at John, who was grimly destroying the square, tasseled doilies that decorated Florence’s easy chair.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin

Related Words

• cloth
• towel