To curl, pleat, or gather fabric into pleats or ruffles; to crimp or wrinkle deliberately for decoration.
From Old French froncier, meaning 'to curl' or 'to frown,' from Frankish roots; related to the idea of gathering or bunching up, with the meaning evolving to specifically describe the gathering of fabric.
Medieval and Renaissance seamstresses developed frouncing into an art form—elaborately pleated collars and sleeves required incredible skill and literally took hours to create.
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