French word

dentelle

Pronunciation

IPA/dɑ̃tɛl/

Meaning

  • feminine nounlace

Example

La robe est en dentelle.

The dress is made of lace.

Illustration for dentelle (lace)

More examples

Elle a acheté une jupe en dentelle.

She bought a lace skirt.

Core concept

A patterned openwork fabric whose gaps and fine edges create a delicate decorative surface.

Common phrases

  • robe en dentelle

    lace dress

  • haut en dentelle

    lace top

  • jupe en dentelle

    lace skirt

Similar words

tissu: Woven material used broadly for making clothes and covering furniture.
broderie: A fabric decoration created by sewing thread into decorative patterns.
tulle: A light, sheer net fabric commonly used in dresses and veils.

Definition in French

Ornement textile formé de fils travaillés pour créer des motifs ajourés, souvent employé comme pièce décorative ou comme tissu d'habillement.

Word origin

French dentelle developed from Middle French dentelle, formed from dentel, "small tooth," from dent, ultimately related to Latin dens, dentis.

Usage tips

  • Dentelle is feminine, so standard forms include la dentelle and de la dentelle; material is commonly expressed with en dentelle, as in une robe en dentelle.

Other meanings

  • laceworknoun

Word lists with this word