passe-partout
Americannoun
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passe-partouts
plural
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something that passes everywhere or provides a universal means of passage.
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an ornamental mat for a picture.
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a method of framing in which a piece of glass is placed over a picture and is affixed to a backing by means of adhesive strips of paper or other material pasted over the edges.
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paper prepared for this purpose.
noun
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a mounting for a picture in which strips of strong gummed paper are used to bind together the glass, picture, and backing
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the gummed paper used for this
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a mat, often decorated, on which a picture is mounted
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something that secures entry everywhere, esp a master key
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of passe-partout
First recorded in 1635–45; from French: literally, “(it) passes everywhere”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I framed my copy as tastefully as I could, in a simple but harmonious passe-partout, and sent it to Miss Mehitable, with Fanny's love.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 18, No. 109, November, 1866 by Various
Book-cloth or any firm material can be used instead of the passe-partout paper.
From Handicraft for Girls A Tentative Course in Needlework, Basketry, Designing, Paper and Cardboard Construction, Textile Fibers and Fabrics and Home Decoration and Care by Idabelle McGlauflin
In a country village on such an occasion, a swallow-tailed coat was a passe-partout, as many gentry had come in from the surrounding district.”
From The Stowmarket Mystery Or, A Legacy of Hate by Louis Tracy
It is set in an oval passe-partout, and requires only a glass over it to fit it for placing on a wall.
From Punchinello, Volume 2, No. 27, October 1, 1870 by Various
An officer’s uniform is a passe-partout in Germany; the showy uniform of the Imperial Guard adds awe to authority.
From The Day of Wrath A Story of 1914 by Louis Tracy
He has a shop of his own in the upper part where he makes passe-partouts.
From Modern Prose And Poetry; For Secondary Schools Edited With Notes, Study Helps, And Reading Lists by Margaret Ashmun
It was the passe-partouts that brought me and Tedder together.
From The 'Mind the Paint' Girl A Comedy in Four Acts by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
