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View synonyms for arras

arras

1

[ ar-uhs ]

noun

  1. a rich tapestry.
  2. a tapestry weave.
  3. a wall hanging, as a tapestry or similar object.
  4. Theater. a curtain suspended loosely across a stage and used as a backdrop or part of a stage setting.


arras

2

[ ahr-ahs; Spanish ahr-rahs ]

noun

, (used with a singular verb)
  1. a gift presented at marriage by a husband to his wife in consideration of her dowry.

Arras

3

[ ar-uhs; French a-rahs ]

noun

  1. a city in and capital of Pas-de-Calais, in N France: battles in World War I.

Arras

1

/ arɑs; ˈærəs /

noun

  1. a town in N France: formerly famous for tapestry; severely damaged in both World Wars. Pop: 40 590 (1999)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

arras

2

/ ˈærəs /

noun

  1. a wall hanging, esp of tapestry
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Words From

  • arrased adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of arras1

1375–1425; late Middle English, named after Arras

Origin of arras2

< Spanish: literally, earnest money. See earnest 2
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Example Sentences

I saw Claudius and Polonius steal like silent ghosts behind an arras.

Gawaine sat gloomily on one of the side benches placed there for petitioners, with his arms folded and his head against the arras.

Staged moments — characters eavesdropping like Polonius behind his arras, lovers exchanging vows — baldly recall the genre’s cliches.

In Mayer’s description, life around Charles was “every bit as brutal as in the days when a twitching arras might signal a hidden assassin.”

But I don't like it when they jump up and down behind the arras like Polonius in Hamlet, trying to distract my attention from the poor old actors.

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arrantArrau