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drapery

[drey-puh-ree]
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noun, plural drap·er·ies.
  1. coverings, hangings, clothing, etc., of fabric, especially as arranged in loose, graceful folds.
  2. Often draperies. long curtains, usually of heavy fabric and often designed to open and close across a window.
  3. the draping or arranging of hangings, clothing, etc., in graceful folds.
  4. Art. hangings, clothing, etc., as represented in sculpture or painting.
  5. cloths or textile fabrics collectively.
  6. British.
    1. dry goods.
    2. the stock, shop, or business of a draper.
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Origin of drapery

1250–1300; Middle English draperie < Old French, equivalent to drap cloth + -erie -ery
Related formsdrap·er·ied, adjectiveun·dra·per·ied, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for draperies

Historical Examples

  • There, half concealed by the draperies, he communed and reasoned with himself.

    Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete

    Edward Bulwer-Lytton

  • The position of the bed, the idea of the draperies all are parallel.

    Albert Durer

    T. Sturge Moore

  • She parted the draperies and looked curiously into the room beyond.

    The Masked Bridal

    Mrs. Georgie Sheldon

  • He walked over to a curtained doorway, and drew aside the draperies.

    A Woman for Mayor

    Helen M. Winslow

  • She crossed the room in a graceful swirl of draperies, and laid a finger on the bell.

    The Grell Mystery

    Frank Froest

British Dictionary definitions for draperies

drapery

noun plural -peries
  1. fabric or clothing arranged and draped
  2. (often plural) curtains or hangings that drape
  3. British the occupation or shop of a draper
  4. fabrics and cloth collectively
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Derived Formsdraperied, adjective
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

Word Origin and History for draperies

drapery

n.

early 14c., "cloth, textiles," from Old French draperie (12c.) "weaving, cloth-making, clothes shop," from drap (see drape (n.)). From late 14c. as "place where cloth is made; cloth market." Meaning "stuff with which something is draped" is 1680s.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper