tapis

American  

[tap-ee, tap-is, ta-pee] / ˈtæp i, ˈtæp ɪs, tæˈpi /

noun

plural

tapis

1. Obsolete. a carpet, tapestry, or other covering.

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idioms

1. on the tapis, under consideration or discussion.

   A new housing development for that area is on the tapis.

tapis British  

/ ˈtæpɪ, tapi, ˈtæpiː /

noun

1. tapestry or carpeting, esp as formerly used to cover a table in a council chamber

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Etymology

Origin of tapis

1485–95; < Middle French; Old French tapiz ≪ Greek tapḗtion little carpet, equivalent to tapēt- (stem of tápēs ) carpet + -ion diminutive suffix

Example Sentences

For a project at a London townhouse, yews clipped into massive rectangles are lined up colonnade-style, framing an impeccable tapis vert that is reached by ascending a broad flight of limestone steps.

From Architectural Digest • May 20, 2015

I hear that a new order of Knighthood is on the tapis — O.M.G.

From New York Times • Jan. 21, 2014

"We won't roll out the tapis rouge to firms who don't want to work in the UK," she pledges.

From The Guardian • Jan. 25, 2013

Nor did he put down pesetas upon the tapis vert.

From The Bandolero A Marriage among the Mountains by Reid, Mayne

The saya is a made skirt tied at the waist with a tape, and the tapis is a breadth of dark cloth, silk or satin, doubled round the waist over the saya.

From The Inhabitants of the Philippines by Sawyer, Frederic H.