drapery

American  

[drey-puh-ree] / ˈdreɪ pə ri /

noun

plural

draperies

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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drapery British  

/ ˈdreɪpərɪ /

noun

1. fabric or clothing arranged and draped

2. (often plural) curtains or hangings that drape

3. the occupation or shop of a draper

4. fabrics and cloth collectively

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Other Word Forms

• draperied adjective
• undraperied adjective

Etymology

Origin of drapery

1250–1300; Middle English draperie < Old French, equivalent to drap cloth + -erie -ery

Example Sentences

But as the Oxford Companion says of Gainsborough, “Unlike most of his contemporaries he employed no drapery painter.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

The gleaming surface of the projecting figure and a background of sleeping soldiers, angels, drapery and clouds embody the inexplicable moment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

The drapery slyly recalls Renaissance artist Hans Holbein’s famous double portrait of “The Ambassadors,” rife with undertones of deadly religious discord during the reign of the much-married Henry VIII.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2024

“Certain colors get canceled out. You have to think about wallpapers, upholstery and drapery fabric. Those are the big things.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2023

A breeze stirred the drapery of vines that were the only thing standing between outside and in.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Related Words

• decoration
• drape
• screen
• shade
• shroud
• shutter
• veil