trapunto

[ truh-poon-toh ]

noun

, plural tra·pun·tos.

1. quilting having an embossed design produced by outlining the pattern with single stitches and then padding it with yarn or cotton.

trapunto

/ trəˈpʊntəʊ /

noun

1. a type of quilting that is only partly padded in a design

Word History and Origins

Origin of trapunto¹

1920–25; < Italian: embroidery, noun use of the adj.: embroidered, literally, pricked through (past participle of trapungere ), equivalent to tra- (< Latin trā-, variant of trāns- trans- ) + -punto < Latin pūnctus, equivalent to pung- (stem of pungere to prick) + -tus past participle suffix; puncture

Word History and Origins

Origin of trapunto¹

Italian, from trapungere to embroider, from pungere to prick (from Latin)