filigrain

or fil·i·grane

[ fil-i-greyn ]

noun

1. filigree.

Word History and Origins

Origin of filigrain¹

1660–70; < French filigrane watermark, filigree < Italian filigrana < Latin fīli-, combining form of fīlum thread + grāna, plural of grānum grain

Example Sentences

Around it and occupying the corners are a thousand specimens of wood, canes, fibres, seeds, gum, wax, resins, teas, hideous theatrical figures, savage weapons, rich fabrics, filigrain jewelry and tea-services.

From Project Gutenberg

Well, with all these giant virtues, you can find room and time in your heart and occupations for harbouring and exercising what those monkeys of pretensions, the French, invented and called les petites morales, which were to supply society with filigrain duties, in the room of all virtues, which they abolished on their road to the adoption of philosophy and atheism.

From Project Gutenberg