A heavy decorative textile with pictures or designs woven into it, typically hung on walls.
From Old French 'tapisserie,' derived from 'tapisser' meaning 'to carpet' or 'to cover with heavy fabric,' which came from 'tapis' (carpet). The surprising origin is Greek 'tapes' meaning 'carpet,' related to 'tapeinós' meaning 'low' or 'humble' — because carpets were literally the 'low' coverings on floors. The word climbed the walls, literally, as these textile techniques moved from floor coverings to wall hangings, but kept the name rooted in 'low' floor coverings.
Tapestries were the medieval equivalent of both TV and central heating — they told stories through pictures and provided crucial insulation in stone castles. The famous Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the Norman Conquest, is technically an embroidery, not a tapestry, but the name stuck because it served the same storytelling function.
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