openwork

[ oh-puhn-wurk ]

See synonyms for openwork on Thesaurus.com

noun

any kind of work, especially ornamental, as of embroidery, lace, metal, stone, or wood, having a latticelike nature or showing openings through its substance.

Origin of openwork

First recorded in 1590–1600; open + work

Words Nearby openwork

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use openwork in a sentence

It has an openwork silver handle and guard; the blade sheathed in a white scabbard, which is silver-mounted.
The False Chevalier | William Douw Lighthall
It is not repoussé, but is cut in openwork of intricate pattern in which the Swastika is the principal motif.
The Swastika | Thomas Wilson
Miss Eunice, I wish you'd teach her that pretty openwork stitch you do so handy.
A Little Girl in Old Salem | Amanda Minnie Douglas
Some openwork minarets dominate them—white spots above the prevailing dullness.
Egypt (La Mort De Philae) | Pierre Loti
In the centre of the low wide common room, mounted on a concrete box, was a big openwork basket of wrought iron.
The Glory of The Coming | Irvin S. Cobb

British Dictionary definitions for openwork

openwork

/ (ˈəʊpənˌwɜːk) /

noun

ornamental work, as of metal or embroidery, having a pattern of openings or holes

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

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