drape

See also: drapé, dråpe, and драпе

English

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɹeɪp/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪp

Noun

drape (plural drapes)

1. (UK) A curtain; a drapery.
2. (textiles) The way in which fabric falls or hangs.
3. (US) A member of a youth subculture distinguished by its sharp dress, especially peg-leg pants (1950s: e.g. Baltimore, MD). Antonym: square
4. A dress made from an entire piece of cloth, without having pieces cut away as in a fitted garment.

Translations

curtain, drapery — see curtain

References

• Time.com: MANNERS & MORALS: The Drapes [1]

Verb

1. (transitive) To cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery

   to drape a bust, a building, etc.

   • 1840, Thomas De Quincey, Theory of Greek Tragedy

     The whole people were still draped professionally.

   • a. 1892, George Washington Bungay, The Artists of the Air

     These starry blossoms, pure and white, / Soft falling, falling, through the night, / Have draped the woods and mere.
2. (transitive) To spread over, cover.

   I draped my towel over the radiator to dry.

3. To rail at; to banter.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir W. Temple to this entry?)

4. To make cloth.
5. To design drapery, arrange its folds, etc., as for hangings, costumes, statues, etc.
6. To hang or rest limply

Translations

to cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery

• Bulgarian: драпирам (drapiram)
• Dutch: bekleden (nl)
• Estonian: drapeerima
• Finnish: peittää (fi), drapeerata
• French: draper (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: drapieren (de)
• Italian: drappeggiare, tappezzare (it)
• Portuguese: drapejar
• Spanish: cubrir (es), colocar (es), acomodar (es)
• Swedish: drapera (sv)

to rail at; to banter

• Finnish: hassutella (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

to make cloth

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

to design drapery, arrange its folds, etc.

• Estonian: drapeerima
• Finnish: drapeerata
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: drapieren (de)
• Swedish: drapera (sv)

to hang or rest limpily

• Finnish: roikkua (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

to spread over; to cover

• Bulgarian: обвивам (bg) (obvivam)
• Finnish: peittää (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: tappezzare (it)

Anagrams

• Padre, dreap, padre, pared, raped, repad

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dʁap/

Verb

drape

1. first-person singular present indicative of draper
2. third-person singular present indicative of draper
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of draper
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of draper
5. second-person singular imperative of draper