What does arras mean?
Arras is a noun denoting a rich, ornamental tapestry fabric, typically woven with elaborate figures or scenes, that was hung on walls or used as a curtain in grand medieval and Renaissance interiors. The word derives its name from the northern French town of Arras, which was famed in the Middle Ages as a center of tapestry manufacture. In everyday modern English, arras is rare and literary, but it enjoys enduring fame through Shakespeare's Hamlet, in which the courtier Polonius conceals himself behind an arras in Gertrude's chamber and is fatally stabbed by Hamlet, who takes him for Claudius. The phrase 'behind the arras' has consequently become shorthand for hiding or eavesdropping. Writers and historians reach for the word when they want an evocative, period-appropriate alternative to 'tapestry,' lending descriptions of castles, palaces, and stage settings an air of antiquity and richness.
nounA rich tapestry fabric, especially one used for wall hangings or curtains; also, a wall hanging made of such tapestry.
- A rich figured tapestry fabric used especially for wall hangings and curtains.
- A wall hanging or curtain made of such tapestry.
"The castle's great hall was hung with arras depicting scenes of medieval hunts."
"Portraits of long-dead nobles gazed down from between panels of faded arras."
"Hamlet thrust his sword through the arras, killing the eavesdropping Polonius."
Rarely pluralized; the singular is often treated as a collective or mass term for such hangings.
"The museum's collection includes several sixteenth-century arrases."
In Hamlet, Polonius meets his end stabbed through the arras — Shakespeare's most famous tapestry is literally a death trap.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of arras
The word arras comes from the name of the town of Arras in northern France, which was renowned from the Middle Ages onward for producing fine woolen tapestries. English adopted the term via Middle French, using it from around the late Middle Ages to denote both the fabric itself and hangings made from it. Because it originates in a place name rather than a classical root, it has no true cognates sharing a common root, though the French phrase 'drap d'Arras' reflects the same source.
How arras is actually used
Literary and somewhat archaic in modern usage; encountered chiefly in historical writing and discussions of Renaissance drama, particularly Shakespeare. Often used attributively (e.g., 'an arras curtain').