doily

or doy·ley

[ doi-lee ]

/ ˈdɔɪ li /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR doily ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural doi·lies.

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

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

Nearby words

doha, dohc, dohnányi, doi, doiled, doily, doing, doings, doisy, doit, doited

Origin of doily

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for doily

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.
Justice Ginsburg Shouldn’t Quit Just Yet|Kevin Bleyer|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She had arranged the jelly in a dainty dish, and now ran into the dining-room for a doily, which she wrapped about it.
Those Dale Girls|Frank Weston Carruth
The doily should be folded in four, and the letter out-lined in lead pencil in the corner of one of the quarters.
St. Nicholas Magazine for Boys and Girls, Vol. 5, Nov 1877-Nov 1878|Various
The guest himself will remove the bowl and doily and silver before the dessert is passed.
Foods and Household Management|Helen Kinne

Put one doily for each person, Brownie, and a large one in the middle for the fern dish, and little ones for the tumblers.
The Fun of Cooking|Caroline French Benton
Cut the cake into squares and pass in silver basket or handsome plate with doily.
Suppers|Paul Pierce

British Dictionary definitions for doily

doily

doyley or doyly

/ (ˈdɔɪlɪ) /

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012