tapestry

noun tap·es·try \ ˈta-pə-strē \

|Updated on: 9 Jul 2018

Definition of tapestry

plural tapestries

1 a : a heavy handwoven reversible textile used for hangings, curtains, and upholstery and characterized by complicated pictorial designs

b : a nonreversible imitation of tapestry used chiefly for upholstery

c : embroidery on canvas resembling woven tapestry

needlepoint tapestry

2 : something resembling tapestry (as in complexity or richness of design)

nature's rich tapestry

See tapestry defined for English-language learners

See tapestry defined for kids

Recent Examples of tapestry from the Web

The regal space, with deep blue tapestries and cream trimmings, seats 1,100 people, has its own box office, and an all-new front-of-the-house audio engineering system.

— hasan dudar, Detroit Free Press, "This Dearborn high school looks like a castle," 27 June 2018
The Singhs stay back of house (immaculate, like the perfect stitching on the back of a good tapestry) with their four-year-old twins, Sujan and Amrit.

— victoria mather, A-LIST, "India Files: the Princely Grandeur of Rajasthan," 20 June 2018
It may be covered up for a little while by an elegant tapestry – or whimsical purses and shoes.

— byron mccauley, Cincinnati.com, "Kate Spade: Her death can help those suffering from mental illness," 7 June 2018
The name refers to Venezuela’s hillside communities where the homes of the working class stack together in a tapestry of colors and upward reaching shapes.

— New York Times, "Those Who Stay," 2 June 2018
While the musical is a tapestry of gentle cross-cultural connections, the most poignant of them is between no-nonsense Dina and the stiffly formal Egyptian bandleader, played by Shalhoub.

— suzy evans, The Hollywood Reporter, "Tonys 2018: Katrina Lenk on the Cultural Representation of 'The Band's Visit'," 31 May 2018
These questions are to some extent answered in the tapestry of interviews past and present with friends, family, and collaborators, some of them professional, some spontaneous and captured on video.

— eve macsweeney, Vogue, "In McQueen, a Documentary Reckons With the Complicated Inner Workings of One of Fashion’s Geniuses," 24 Apr. 2018
My room at La Casa Azul, which shares its name with artist Frida Kahlo's startlingly blue Mexico City abode, was equally intimate and tasteful, furnished with beautiful folkloric tapestries and carved wooden furniture.

— elizabeth zach, chicagotribune.com, "Cuernavaca: A side trip into opulence, only an hour away from Mexico's capital," 9 Apr. 2018
Videos and photographs from the synagogue taken before the war show a main hall of arches lined with seats and tapestries.

— bassem mroue, Fox News, "Jewish artifacts disappear from Damascus in fog of Syria war," 17 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tapestry.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tapestry

Middle English, modification of Anglo-French tapicerie, from tapit, tapis carpet, hanging, from Greek tapētion, diminutive of tapēt-, tapēs carpet

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Textiles Terms

batt, bias, brocade, duck, flock, lawn, toile

TAPESTRY Defined for English Language Learners

tapestry

noun

Definition of tapestry for English Language Learners

: a heavy cloth that has designs or pictures woven into it and that is used for wall hangings, curtains, etc.
: something made up of different things, people, colors, etc.