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Synonyms

ruche

American  
[roosh] / ruʃ /

noun

  1. a strip of pleated lace, net, muslin, or other material for trimming or finishing a dress, as at the collar or sleeves.


ruche British  
/ ruːʃ /

noun

  1. a strip of pleated or frilled lawn, lace, etc, used to decorate blouses, dresses, etc, or worn around the neck like a small ruff as in the 16th century

"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

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

Mourning Worn By A Mother A mother who has lost a grown child wears the same mourning as that prescribed for a widow excepting the white cap ruche.

From Etiquette by Post, Emily

The ruche goes part way, or all the way, around the head, and the velvet ribbon ties, with streamers hanging down the back.

From Etiquette by Post, Emily

Defiance, pride, and patriotism in the high collar, tempered by regret in the soft ruche....

From Lippincott's Magazine, September, 1885 by Various

I was dressed in a white muslin gown, a plain skirt with a wide ruche around the bottom, Marie Stuart waist, and hair arranged to match the costume.

From Marie Bashkirtseff (From Childhood to Girlhood) by Bashkirtseff, Marie