ruche
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does ruche mean? A ruche is a strip of material used to finish a dress, as in Paula decided to add lace ruche to the dress’s sleeves. A ruche is a decorative piece of fabric used to finish a dress on the ends. Typically, a ruche is placed on the collar or sleeves of a dress as a way to draw attention to those areas and complete a design. A traditional ruche is made by pleating the fabric already present at the top of the dress or gathering it into small folds, but it can also be made out of pleated fabric that is added on top of the dress fabric. Ruches are often made from lace, net, or muslin but can be made from any material that can be pleated and sewn on the garment’s fabric. To ruche means to gather or pleat fabric into a ruche, as in Franny struggled to ruche the lace for the wedding gown. Example: Vlad used a bright-colored ruche on the dress sleeves to make the dress pop.
Other Word Forms
- ruched adjective
- ruching noun
Etymology
Origin of ruche
1820–30; < French: literally, beehive < Gallo-Romance *rūsca bark, apparently < Gaulish; compare Welsh rhisg ( l ) bark, rind
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.
Oprah Winfrey made a red carpet appearance in a ruche nude chiffon frock from Vera Wang.
From Forbes • Feb. 22, 2015
One set of blue ones clustered round the hem of her little night-gown, making a thick "ruche," as it were; and then there came two or three thinner rows of yellow, and then blue again.
From The Cuckoo Clock by Kirk, Maria Louise
And Clara laid the delicate flowers among the blonde behind, where the effect was unmarred by the over-red cheeks, and nothing but a soft ruche lay over the dark hair in front.
From Aunt Jo's Scrap-Bag, Vol. 5 Jimmy's Cruise in the Pinafore, Etc. by Alcott, Louisa May
No. 172 shows the wing of a bird, No. 173 a rose-leaf somewhat increased in size; the former is worked entirely in button-hole stitch, or trimmed with a ruche of coloured ribbon.
From Beeton's Book of Needlework by Beeton, Mrs. (Isabella Mary)
The slipper is trimmed all round with a ruche of green silk ribbon three-fifths of an inch wide, pleated in double box pleats.
From Beeton's Book of Needlework by Beeton, Mrs. (Isabella Mary)
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.
