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• draper
  draper

  noun

  a dealer in cloth; a retail merchant or clerk who sells piece goods.
• Draper
  Draper

  noun

  Henry, 1837–82, U.S. astronomer.

draper

¹ American  

[dray-per] / ˈdreɪ pər /

noun

British.

1. a dealer in cloth; a retail merchant or clerk who sells piece goods.

2. a retail merchant or clerk who sells clothing and dry goods.

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Draper ² American  

[dray-per] / ˈdreɪ pər /

noun

1. Henry, 1837–82, U.S. astronomer.

2. his father John William, 1811–82, U.S. chemist, physiologist, historian, and writer; born in England.

3. Ruth, 1884–1956, U.S. diseuse and writer of character sketches.

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draper ¹ British  

/ ˈdreɪpə /

noun

1. a dealer in fabrics and sewing materials

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Draper ² British  

/ ˈdreɪpə /

noun

1. Henry. 1837–82, US astronomer, who contributed to stellar classification and spectroscopy

2. his father, John William. 1811–82, US chemist and historian, born in England, made the first photograph of the moon

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Draper Scientific  

/ drā′pər /

1. American astronomer who developed methods for photographing celestial objects and phenomena. He became the first to photograph a stellar spectrum (1872) and a nebula (1880).

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Etymology

Origin of draper

1325–75; Middle English < Anglo-French; Old French drapier, equivalent to drap cloth + -ier -ier ²; see -er ²

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

draper Draper

At the same time, Leeuwenhoek mostly continued with his careers as a draper and a world-renowned expert on developing microscopes.

From Salon ● Jan. 2, 2023

The poet’s third husband was Richard Prowse, of Exeter, a prominent draper who was also the city’s bailiff, sheriff, alderman, and mayor, as well as a Member of Parliament.

From The New Yorker ● Aug. 5, 2019

The very first case of respiratory myoclonus was reported in 1723 by Antony van Leeuwenhoek, a Dutch draper and amateur scientist.

From New York Times ● Apr. 3, 2015

Becoming a drapers apprentice, aged 14, in 1856, he came to London and landed a job as a salesman for the prestigious Oxford Street draper Peter Robinson.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2014

The draper sat upon the cobbles of the street, his hair lank, and a daughter of perhaps my age wandered about through the wreckage, picking up silks and attempting to drag them back inside.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

Bill Draper is survived by three children, Rebecca Draper, Polly Draper and Timothy Draper; eight grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Draper, who died Sept. 8 at the age of 98, had the self-confidence required to ask questions that might reveal his ignorance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Draper’s father, William H. Draper Jr., started in venture capital in the late 1950s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

William H. Draper III, a pioneering Silicon Valley venture capitalist, died on Sept. 8 at the age of 98.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Yesterday, at the Bidding of Capt. Draper, I took Prince to spend his small Sum for Enlistment on a new Shirt and Breeches.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

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