filigree
[ fil-i-gree ]
noun
delicate ornamental work of fine silver, gold, or other metal wires, especially lacy jewelers' work of scrolls and arabesques.
anything very delicate or fanciful: a filigree of frost.
adjective
composed of or resembling filigree.
verb (used with object),fil·i·greed, fil·i·gree·ing.
to adorn with or form into filigree.
Origin of filigree
1First recorded in 1685–95; earlier filigreen, variant of filigrain
- Rarely fil·a·gree, fil·la·gree [fil-uh-gree] /ˈfɪl əˌgri/ .
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for filigree
filigree
filagree or fillagree
/ (ˈfɪlɪˌɡriː) /
noun
delicate ornamental work of twisted gold, silver, or other wire
any fanciful delicate ornamentation
adjective
made of or as if with filigree
verb-grees, -greeing or -greed
(tr) to decorate with or as if with filigree
Origin of filigree
1C17: from earlier filigreen, from French filigrane, from Latin fīlum thread + grānum grain
Derived forms of filigree
- filigreed, adjective
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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