What does broidery mean?
Broidery means embroidery: the craft of decorating fabric with needle and thread, working patterns of flowers, figures, or ornament in colored silks, gold, or other materials. It is essentially an archaic or literary short form of "embroidery," and it appears chiefly in older English literature, poetry, and historical writing rather than in everyday speech. In its day, broidery denoted skilled, often highly valued handiwork — ecclesiastical vestments, royal garments, and domestic textiles were all enriched by it — so the word carries connotations of craftsmanship, patience, and ornate beauty. A reader encountering "broidery" today should understand it as an elegant, slightly antiquated synonym for embroidery, best reserved for period flavor or deliberate stylistic effect. For all practical purposes, the modern writer should choose "embroidery," while recognizing "broidery" when it appears in classic texts.
nounEmbroidery; decorative needlework in which patterns are stitched onto fabric with thread. An archaic or literary short form of "embroidery," now rare except in historical and poetic contexts.
- Decorative needlework; patterns worked onto fabric with needle and thread (an archaic or literary form of "embroidery").
"The altar cloth gleamed with gold-thread broidery worked by medieval nuns."
"Her wedding gown was rich with pearl-and-silk broidery along the sleeves."
"The old poem describes maidens at their frames, intent upon their broidery."
Rarely used in the plural; as an archaic term, "broidery" typically appears as a singular mass noun referring to the craft or work collectively.
"The exhibition gathered broideries from convents across medieval Europe."
"Broidery" is simply "embroidery" wearing its medieval costume — a word Shakespeare could have stitched into a line, now found mostly in antique texts and poetry.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of broidery
Broidery comes from the verb "broider," borrowed into Middle English from Old French "broisder" or "broder," meaning to ornament cloth with needlework. The fuller form "embroider" developed in the same way with the intensive prefix "em-" (from Latin), and both nouns ultimately descend from the same Old French source. "Broidery" was in use by late Middle English and remained current into the early modern period, after which "embroidery" displaced it as the standard term.
Related word forms
How broidery is actually used
"Broidery" is archaic and literary; in ordinary modern writing, "embroidery" is always preferred. The word survives mainly in older literature, historical description, and deliberately poetic register.
Easily confused with broidery
"Embroidery" is the standard modern term for decorative needlework, while "broidery" is an archaic or literary short form of the same word that has largely fallen out of everyday use.