valance

[ val-uhns, vey-luhns ]

noun

1. a short curtain or piece of drapery that is hung from the edge of a canopy, from the frame of a bed, etc.
2. a short ornamental piece of drapery placed across the top of a window.

valance

/ ˈvæləns /

noun

1. a short piece of drapery hung along a shelf, canopy, or bed, or across a window, to hide structural detail

Derived Forms

• ˈvalanced, adjective

Other Words From

• valanced adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of valance¹

1400–50; late Middle English; perhaps after Valence, French city noted for cloth-making

Word History and Origins

Origin of valance¹

C15: perhaps named after Valence , France, town noted for its textiles

Example Sentences

And the reality is, he’s more like Lee Marvin in “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” though he’d love everyone to think he’s John Wayne.

From Salon

Cohen is the city-dwelling Ransom Stoddard as played by Jimmy Stewart in “Liberty Valance,” but with a few more colorful curse words at his disposal than Stewart.

From Salon

“A lot of people forget that part,” Stewart said in “Liberty Valance.”

From Salon

At the end of the day, Trump is facing the same fate as the ill-tempered, angry, narcissistic and purely fictional Liberty Valance.

From Salon

Few cinematic genres have had as fruitful a conversation with one another as the samurai film and the western, so it’s only fitting to use an epigraph from “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” to sum up the central conflict in this week’s episode.

From New York Times

Related Words

• decoration
• drape
• drapery
• screen
• shade
• shroud
• shutter
• veil