filigree
[ fil-i-gree ]
/ ˈfɪl ɪˌgri /
noun
delicate ornamental work of fine silver, gold, or other metal wires, especially lacy jewelers' work of scrolls and arabesques.
anything very delicate or fanciful: a filigree of frost.
adjective
composed of or resembling filigree.
verb (used with object), fil·i·greed, fil·i·gree·ing.
to adorn with or form into filigree.
Nearby words
filicide, filiform, filiform bougie, filiform papilla, filigrain, filigree, filing clerk, filings, filiopietistic, filipino, filister
Origin of filigree
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for filigree
British Dictionary definitions for filigree
filigree
filagree or fillagree
/ (ˈfɪlɪˌɡriː) /
noun
delicate ornamental work of twisted gold, silver, or other wire
any fanciful delicate ornamentation
adjective
made of or as if with filigree
verb -grees, -greeing or -greed
(tr) to decorate with or as if with filigree
Derived Formsfiligreed, adjective
Word Origin for filigree
C17: from earlier filigreen, from French filigrane, from Latin fīlum thread + grānum grain
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for filigree
filigree
1690s, shortening of filigreen (1660s), from French filigrane "filigree" (17c.), from Italian filigrana, from Latin filum "thread" (see file (v.)) + granum "grain" (see corn (n.1)). Related: Filigreed.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper