drapery

[drey-puh-ree]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR drapery ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural drap·er·ies.

coverings, hangings, clothing, etc., of fabric, especially as arranged in loose, graceful folds.

Often draperies. long curtains, usually of heavy fabric and often designed to open and close across a window.

the draping or arranging of hangings, clothing, etc., in graceful folds.

Art. hangings, clothing, etc., as represented in sculpture or painting.

cloths or textile fabrics collectively.

British.

dry goods.
the stock, shop, or business of a draper.

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. 2019

Related Words for drapery

decoration, drape, screen, shutter, shroud, shade, veil, garment, dress, gear, equipment, habiliment, habit, garb, sack, costume, array, accouterment, frippery, rigging

Examples from the Web for drapery

Historical Examples of drapery

She asked to see it, and I wheeled out the easel and threw the drapery back.
The Greater Inclination
Edith Wharton
Drawings of a male body, a female body, and a piece of drapery.
Albert Durer
T. Sturge Moore
Steps were heard in the gallery—the drapery at the door was agitated.
The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 2, May, 1851
Various
The artist was working on a picture of a nude Bacchante sprawled on some drapery.
Therese Raquin
Emile Zola
She arose, and with a grand sweep of her drapery, moved toward the door.
Tales From Two Hemispheres
Hjalmar Hjorth Boysen

British Dictionary definitions for drapery

drapery

noun plural -peries

fabric or clothing arranged and draped

(often plural) curtains or hangings that drape

British the occupation or shop of a draper

fabrics and cloth collectively

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 drapery

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.