tapestries

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   Heavy cloth with pictures or patterns woven into it, often hung on walls.

   Grammar: Countable; use 'a tapestry' for one and 'tapestries' for several: The museum displays tapestries.

   Patterns

   • a tapestry of something
   • hang a tapestry
   • weave a tapestry

   The castle walls were covered with colorful tapestries.

   She bought two tapestries at the craft fair.

   The tapestries in the hall show scenes from old stories.

2. 2nounsingularfigurative

   A complex mix of things that together form a rich whole.

   Grammar: Figurative; usually singular with 'of': a tapestry of cultures.

   Patterns

   • a tapestry of something

   The city is a tapestry of languages and traditions.

   Her novel weaves a tapestry of family memories and history.

Word forms

Common combinations

woven tapestries

The woven tapestries took months to complete.

medieval tapestries

Medieval tapestries often showed hunting scenes.

a tapestry of cultures

The festival presented a tapestry of cultures from across the region.

hang tapestries

They hang tapestries on the walls to keep the rooms warm.

Synonyms and how they differ

wall hanging

A wider term for any decorative cloth hung on a wall; a tapestry is a specific woven type.

arras

An old-fashioned word for a rich tapestry, now mainly found in historical writing.

Word family

tapestry noun

The singular form: one piece of such cloth.

tapestried adjective

Covered with tapestries or decorated like a tapestry.

Commonly confused: tapestries or tapestry? tapestries or carpet?

Practice

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