embroidery

[ em-broi-duh-ree, -dree ]

/ ɛmˈbrɔɪ də ri, -dri /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR embroidery ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural em·broi·der·ies.

the art of working raised and ornamental designs in threads of silk, cotton, gold, silver, or other material, upon any woven fabric, leather, paper, etc., with a needle.

embroidered work or ornamentation.

elaboration or embellishment, as in telling a story.

Nearby words

embrocate, embrocation, embroglio, embroider, embroideress, embroidery, embroidery needle, embroil, embrown, embrue, embry-

Origin of embroidery

1350–1400; Middle English embrouderie needlework on cloth < Middle French embroud(er) + Middle English -erie -ery; oi from embroider

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

Examples from the Web for embroidery

Vibrant color surfaced in textile and in beading and embroidery.
How World Wars Made Females More Androgynous|Liza Foreman|July 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Have you sublimated your sexual urges by learning Latin and Embroidery?
Penis Beakers and Constipated Dolls: What Mothers REALLY Want To Know|Tom Sykes|October 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A reference to former Attorney General John Mitchell, who had stepped down as CRP director, reveals another kind of embroidery.
What Director Alan Pakula’s Papers Reveal About Watergate|Max Holland|June 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The final dresses, in fuchsia with embroidery, appliqué, layering and all manner of technical wizardry were a Cinderella dream.
Paris Fall Fashion Week Ends With Vuitton and Kanye|Robin Givhan|March 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Each jacket was brushed with a print or decorated with embroidery down a single sleeve or along one side of the body.
Balenciaga, Dries Van Noten Kick Off Paris Fall 2012 Fashion Week|Robin Givhan|March 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
This V shape was often open down to the waist, where it was filled in with a centre-piece of embroidery.
Dress design|Talbot Hughes
He sat down and looked at a bit of her embroidery, which lay uncovered beside her on the frame.
The History of David Grieve|Mrs. Humphry Ward
She included chemistry and other sciences in her courses, and in addition to embroidery she had her girls taught bookkeeping.
My Own Story|Emmeline Pankhurst
They will just buy that simple little Callot frock with the embroidery.
The Summons|A.E.W. Mason
As Miss Newton idled over her embroidery he would lounge near her and make little jests about Hayes's age, size, and manners.
Mitchelhurst Place, Vol. I (of 2)|Margaret Veley

British Dictionary definitions for embroidery

embroidery

/ (ɪmˈbrɔɪdərɪ) /

noun plural -deries

decorative needlework done usually on loosely woven cloth or canvas, often being a picture or pattern

elaboration or exaggeration, esp in writing or reporting; embellishment

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

embroidery

noun, plural em·broi·der·ies.

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Origin of embroidery

Examples from the Web for embroidery

British Dictionary definitions for embroidery

embroidery

noun plural -deries