tracery
Americannoun
plural
traceries-
ornamental work consisting of ramified ribs, bars, or the like, as in the upper part of a Gothic window, in panels, screens, etc.
-
any delicate, interlacing work of lines, threads, etc., as in carving or embroidery; network.
noun
-
a pattern of interlacing ribs, esp as used in the upper part of a Gothic window, etc
-
any fine pattern resembling this
Other Word Forms
- traceried adjective
Etymology
Origin of tracery
late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at trace 1, -ery
Vocabulary lists containing tracery
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.
According to Sotheby's, the piece contains 94 cities inscribed within it, each marked with their respective longitudes and latitudes, along with 38 star pointers linked by intricate floral tracery.
From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026
Amid this gentle drama, Jewett depicts the marshland, where “the lines of the creeks made a broad tracery whichever way one looked.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
Yet, his exquisite graphite drawing positions a viewer behind an iron railing decorated with the elegant tracery of the king’s monogram.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2023
In front of the new hedge, a simple 9-foot arbor, also stained a dark color, supports Clematis armandii, providing an evergreen tracery of foliage that’s smothered with fragrant white blooms in early spring.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 3, 2023
The tracery, all of which was cut from templates, was cemented into place along with iron reinforcing bars as the piers were being built.
From "Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction" by David Macaulay
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.
