Cloth coverings, especially curtains, hung in loose folds as decoration or to cover windows.
From Old French 'draperie,' derived from 'drap' meaning 'cloth,' which came from Late Latin 'drappus.' The surprising origin is that 'drappus' likely came from a Gaulish word for cloth, making this a rare case of ancient Celtic language surviving into modern English through French. Originally, drapery referred to any cloth goods or the trade of selling cloth, not specifically hanging fabrics. The meaning narrowed to decorative hanging cloth only in the 14th century.
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