A design or picture that can be transferred onto another surface, like a sticker that slides onto ceramics, cars, or other objects.
Shortened from 'decalcomania,' which comes from French décalquer (to transfer a pattern) + -mania. The term became popular in the 1920s-30s for transferring decorative designs.
Decals seem simple, but they revolutionized decorating—before modern decals, adding patterns to ceramics meant hand-painting, which was expensive; decals made beautiful designs affordable for everyday people!
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