What does lacework mean?
Lacework is decorative openwork created by interlacing, looping, or twisting threads into intricate patterns. It can refer both to the finished textile and to the technique used to make it. Lacework is commonly found on clothing, shawls, collars, cuffs, veils, linens, and other decorative objects, and it may feature floral, geometric, or scrolling designs. Because the background remains partly open, lacework is valued for its delicacy and visual lightness as well as its ornamentation. The word is also used more broadly for patterned fabric that imitates or resembles traditional lace. In contemporary design and fashion, lacework may be handmade or machine-produced, but it generally carries an association with craftsmanship, elegance, and traditional textile techniques.
nounOrnamental openwork made by interlacing or looping threads, often used to decorate clothing, household textiles, or other fabric. The term can also refer more broadly to decorative patterns or fabric formed in this way.
- Decorative openwork made by interlacing threads into a patterned fabric or material.
- The technique or process of creating such openwork.
"The antique dress was edged with delicate lacework and tiny floral motifs."
"The museum displays a shawl with remarkably fine lacework along its border."
"A combination of lacework and floral embroidery gave the curtain an ornate appearance."
Rare and generally used only for distinct examples or kinds of lacework, since the word is normally an uncountable mass noun.
"The collection includes several laceworks from the nineteenth century."
Lacework turns the spaces between threads into the design, making fabric that is both ornament and engineering.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lacework come from?
Lacework is a transparent English compound formed from lace and work. Its meaning developed through the long-standing association of lace with interlaced threads and decorative textile patterns, while work contributed the sense of a crafted or patterned result. The word is closely related to the vocabulary of sewing and textile production, including lacing and other forms of decorative needlework.
How lacework is actually used
Usually formal or descriptive. The word is especially associated with textiles and traditionally made by hand, though modern lacework may also be produced with machines.
Easily confused with lacework
Lace is the textile or material made from interwoven threads, while lacework more specifically emphasizes the openwork technique, pattern, or decorative fabric.