drape
English · Français · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
drape
- /dɹeɪp/
Rhymes with -eɪp
Where it comes from
From Middle English drape (“a drape”, noun), from Old French draper (“to drape; to full cloth”), from drap (“cloth, drabcloth”), from Late Latin drappus, drapus (“drabcloth, kerchief”), a word first recorded in the Capitularies of Charlemagne, probably from Frankish *drapi, *drāpi (“that which is fulled, drabcloth”, literally “that which is struck or for striking”), from Proto-Germanic *drapiz (“a strike, hit, blow”) and Proto-Germanic *drēpiz (“intended for striking, to be beaten”), both from *drepaną (“to beat, strike”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreb- (“to beat, crush, make or become thick”). Cognate with English drub (“to beat”), North Frisian dreep (“a blow”), Low German drapen, dräpen (“to strike”), German treffen (“to meet”), Swedish dräpa (“to slay”). More at drub.
noun drapes
- A curtain; a drapery.
- The way in which fabric falls or hangs. The herringbone-twill sample is soft and smooth, with an easy drape that allows the fabric to move beautifully.
- A member of a youth subculture distinguished by its sharp dress, especially peg-leg pants (1950s: e.g. Baltimore, MD). Antonym: square.
- A dress made from an entire piece of cloth, without having pieces cut away as in a fitted garment.
verb drapes · draping · draped
- To cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery. to drape a bust, a building, etc.
- To spread over, cover. I draped my towel over the radiator to dry.
- To rail at; to banter. 1672-679, William Temple, Memoirs At my Arrival , the King asked me many questions about my Journey, about the Congress, draping us for spending him so money
- To make cloth.
- To design drapery, arrange its folds, etc., as for hangings, costumes, statues, etc.
-
To hang or rest limply.
I draped myself elegantly over the couch.
Similar: trail
Translations
Every language
verb to cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
| Español | colocar, acomodar, drapear |
|---|---|
| Português | drapejar |
| Français | draper |
| Deutsch | drapieren |
| Italiano | drappeggiare, tappezzare |
| Română | drapa |
verb To spread over, to cover with cloth or clothing
| Italiano | tappezzare |
|---|
verb to design drapery, arrange its folds, etc.
| Deutsch | drapieren |
|---|
Talk about this word "drape." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/drape. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. drape. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/drape "drape." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/drape.Cite this
@misc{drape_2026,
title = {drape},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/drape},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
