peplos

or pep·lus

[ pep-luhs ]

noun

, plural pep·los·es.

1. a loose-fitting outer garment worn, draped in folds, by women in ancient Greece.

peplos

/ ˈpɛpləs /

noun

1. (in ancient Greece) the top part of a woman's attire, caught at the shoulders and hanging in folds to the waist Also calledpeplum

Other Words From

• pep·losed [pep, -l, uh, st], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of peplos¹

First recorded in 1770–80, peplos is from the Greek word péplos (masculine)

Word History and Origins

Origin of peplos¹

C18: from Greek, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

This year, Chiuri printed the peplos with the title of a crucial work of social criticism—Bernard Rudofsky’s “Are Clothes Modern?”—in a typeface inspired by the cloth cover of its first edition, from 1947.

From The New Yorker

Drapery, &c.—All the figures on this tomb, except the "Harpies," the diminutive figures connected with them, and the warrior, are draped in chiton, and himation or peplos.

From Project Gutenberg

Her flowered muslin peplos hung limply pleated around her shapely body in a succession of thin folds, which blew open and shut.

From Project Gutenberg

At Athens, two maidens chosen in their seventh year, who carried the peplos, and other holy things, ἄῤῥητα, of Pallas in the Scirrophoria.

From Project Gutenberg

Over the eastern doorway were twelve noble sitting figures on either side of the officiating priest, presenting the state robe, or peplos, for the vestment of Athene.

From Project Gutenberg