orphrey

noun

or·​phrey ˈȯr-frē How to pronounce orphrey (audio)
plural orphreys
1
a
: elaborate embroidery
b
: a piece of such embroidery
2
: an ornamental border or band especially on an ecclesiastical vestment

Word History

Etymology

Middle English orfrey, from Anglo-French orfreis, from Medieval Latin aurifrigium, from Latin aurum gold + Phrygius Phrygian — more at aureus

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of orphrey was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near orphrey

orphist

orphrey

orpiment

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Orphrey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orphrey. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on orphrey

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about orphrey

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...