Drapery
/ˈdreɪ.pər.i/noun
Decorative cloth hangings or the arrangement of cloth into folds.
Did you know?Drapery comes from a line of words built around the idea of cloth and folded fabric, not magic—but in art history, drapery became so important that painters used it to make bodies look divine, sacred, or alive.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dher-
“to hold, support, or sustain”
Latin
Latin
drappus
“a cloth or piece of fabric”
Late Latin
Latin
drappārius
“one who deals in cloth”
Old French
Old French
draperie
“cloth trade; cloth goods; fabric hangings”
Middle English
English
draperie
“cloth, cloth goods, or hanging folds of fabric”
Modern English
English
drapery
“decorative cloth hangings or the way fabric falls in folds”