Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

tracery

American  
[tray-suh-ree] / ˈtreɪ sə ri /

noun

  • traceries
    plural
  1. ornamental work consisting of ramified ribs, bars, or the like, as in the upper part of a Gothic window, in panels, screens, etc.

  2. any delicate, interlacing work of lines, threads, etc., as in carving or embroidery; network.


tracery British  
/ ˈtreɪsərɪ /

noun

  1. a pattern of interlacing ribs, esp as used in the upper part of a Gothic window, etc

  2. any fine pattern resembling this

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns


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.

See Examples For:

Among them are working drawings that prescribe the profile of every block of stone, each keyed to its exact place in the building, whether gable, tracery or buttress.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 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

Clues in the remaining buildings reveal it had corner turrets and a great hall accessed via an impressive doorway and illuminated by tracery windows.

From BBC ● May 1, 2022

Most of the external walls of the 250-foot-long, 150-foot-wide church still stand, along with its exquisite window tracery and outlines of the sacristy, chapter house and dining hall.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2018

Finally, inside the gatehouse, there was a neat little hole in the middle of the vaulted ceiling, which had painted tracery and basses.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

The spots begin to move, and slip-sliding traceries of luminosity explode.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2023

Full of linear traceries, they came foremost from his widow, the painter Lee Krasner, and help measure her growing artistic independence.

From New York Times ● Dec. 31, 2015

Charles Emerson's oil-on-canvas "Trajectory of Angels" evokes the essence rather than specifics of angelic beings making fiery, ethereal traceries across a backdrop of autumnal colors.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 2, 2012

By carefully tailoring the radiation shone on their sample, the Vanderbilt team were able to create a photograph that shows the delicate traceries of tissue inside a mosquito's heart.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 23, 2010

The tracery lights are glazed in red, with white winding vines, and are remarkably like the traceries at Tewkesbury.

From Stained Glass Tours in England by Charles Hitchcock Sherrill

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com