scrim

[skrim]

noun

1. a cotton or linen fabric of open weave used for bunting, curtains, etc.

2. Theater.,  a piece of such fabric used as a drop, border, or the like, for creating the illusion of a solid wall or backdrop under certain lighting conditions or creating a semitransparent curtain when lit from behind.

scrim

/ skrɪm /

noun

1. an open-weave muslin or hessian fabric, used in upholstery, lining, building, and in the theatre to create the illusion of a solid wall or to suggest haziness, etc, according to the lighting

Word History and Origins

Origin of scrim¹

First recorded in 1785–95; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of scrim¹

C18: origin unknown

Example Sentences

A scrim will cover the huge window itself so that no one outside can peer in to see who’s bidding.

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His protection was a thin scrim of hotel security and rent-a-cops hired for crowd control.

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But who doesn’t perk up a bit when the scrim of perfection that shields the private lives of high-profile, perfectly turned-out couples is torn, even for one brief moment?

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In this enormous projection piece, Eliasson unfurls a phantasmagoria of shifting shapes and amorphous space across a vast fabric scrim stretched between the walls of a large, darkened museum gallery.

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The audience could see me through the scrim, but they couldn’t hear us.

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Related Words

• scenery