Crape
/kreɪp/noun
A thin, crinkled fabric, often used for mourning clothes; also a decorative paper or textile with a similar texture.
Did you know?Crape is historically tied to mourning dress in English, and its name comes through French from a word for a crinkled or wrinkled surface, not from any occult origin—yet it became visually synonymous with death rituals.
Etymological Timeline
Modern English
English
crape
“A crinkled fabric, especially black mourning fabric.”
17th–18th Century
French
crêpe
“A thin, crinkled textile or paper.”
Late Latin
Latin
crispus
“Curled, wrinkled, or wavy.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sker-
“To turn, bend, or curl.”