tapestry
noun
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Several languages weave through the history of tapestry, which comes from a Greek word meaning “carpet” and traveled through Anglo-French and Middle English before arriving in modern English in the 15th century. Tapestry originally referred to a heavy handwoven reversible textile used for hangings, curtains, and upholstery, and characterized by complicated pictorial designs. It still does today, but the word has fittingly developed a “tapestry” of additional senses. It may describe a nonreversible imitation of tapestry used chiefly for upholstery, or embroidery on canvas resembling woven tapestry. It can also refer figuratively to anything made up of different parts, as in “nature’s rich tapestry.” Tapestry isn’t the only art word that’s developed a figurative “medley” sense; collage (“a work of art made by adhering pieces of different materials (such as paper, cloth, or wood) to a flat surface”) and mosaic (“a decoration made by inlaying small pieces of variously colored material (such as glass or ceramic) to form pictures or patterns”) are both used figuratively to mean “a collection of different things.”
Examples of tapestry in a Sentence
Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 28 July 2025
Back in Lamego’s center, explore its 12th-century castle, peer into the ornate Lamego Cathedral, or wander the Museu de Lamego—a former bishop’s palace housing Flemish tapestries.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
In the process, Cam wove together a tapestry of sounds including folk, country and ethereal pop.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 17 July 2025
The bus ride is a genius tapestry of different registers of voice, which Ellison is an absolute master at managing.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for tapestry
Cite this Entry
“Tapestry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tapestry. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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tapestry
noun
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