Dictionary

1filigree

noun fil·i·gree \ˈfi-lə-ˌgrē\

: decoration that consists of delicate and complicated designs made of fine gold or silver wire

Full Definition of FILIGREE

1
:  ornamental work especially of fine wire of gold, silver, or copper applied chiefly to gold and silver surfaces
2
a :  ornamental openwork of delicate or intricate design
b :  a pattern or design resembling such openwork <a filigree of frost>
c :  ornamentation, embellishment <writings … heavy with late Victorian filigree — Jack Beatty>
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Illustration of FILIGREE

Origin of FILIGREE

modification of French filigrane, from Italian filigrana, from Latin filum + granum grain — more at corn
First Known Use: 1693

Other Handicraft Terms

biscuit, darn, tambour, wrought

Rhymes with FILIGREE

abatis, ABC, ABD, abductee, absentee, acquiree, addressee, adoptee, advisee, alienee, allottee, amputee, apogee, appellee, appointee, appraisee, après-ski, arrestee, assignee, attendee, auditee, awardee, axletree, BVD, Baha'i, bain-marie, barley-bree, batterie, billi-bi, boiserie, bonhomie, booboisie, bourgeoisie, brasserie, brusquerie, bumblebee, camphor tree, camporee, cap-a-pie, causerie, Chamonix, Cherokee, chickadee, chickaree, chimpanzee, China Sea, Christmas tree, chroma-key, coati, Coligny, conferee, consignee, cop a plea, Coral Sea, counselee, context-free, counterplea, cruelty-free, Danaë, DDT, debauchee, Debussy, departee, deportee, dernier cri, designee, detainee, devisee, devotee, diploe, disagree, dischargee, divorcé, divorcée, DME, dungaree, duty-free, eau-de-vie, employee, endorsee, enlistee, enrollee, enshrinee, epopee, escadrille, escapee, ESP, evictee, expellee, family tree, fancy-free, fantasy, fedayee, fever tree, fleur-de-lis, franchisee, fricassee, function key, galilee, Galilee, garnishee, gaucherie, Gemini, Greenland Sea, guarani, guarantee, Hawaii, HIV, Holy See, honeybee, honoree, housemaid's knee, humble-bee, inductee, Inland Sea, internee, invitee, Irish Sea, IUD, jacquerie, jamboree, Java Sea, Joshua tree, jubilee, Judas tree, jumper's knee, jus soli, Kayseri, kedgeree, kidnappee, killer bee, LCD, LED, legatee, libelee, licensee, LSD, maître d', Malay Sea, manatee, master key, Mormon tea, mortgagee, murderee, NBC, nominee, obligee, oversea, oversee, Park Chung Hee, parolee, parti pris, pass degree, patentee, pedigree, peppertree, perigee, permittee, pharisee, picotee, piroshki, point d'appui, potpourri, praecipe, presentee, promisee, public-key, rapparee, referee, refugee, rejectee, renminbi, repartee, retiree, returnee, RPV, rubber tree, saddletree, Sadducee, sangaree, Savaii, selectee, Semele, shivaree, slotting fee, snickersnee, spelling bee, spindle tree, SST, STD, Tappan Zee, Tenebrae, Tennessee, third degree, thirty-three, TNT, to a tee, toile de Jouy, torii, transferee, tulip tree, undersea, user fee, vaccinee, value-free, varnish tree, verdigris, VIP, vis-à-vis, wannabe, warrantee, Wounded Knee

2filigree

verb
fil·i·greedfil·i·gree·ing

Definition of FILIGREE

transitive verb
:  to adorn with or as if with filigree

First Known Use of FILIGREE

1831

Other Fine Arts Terms

Gothic, baroque, bas-relief, limn, oeuvre, pastiche, rococo, sfumato
FILIGREE Defined for Kids

filigree

noun fil·i·gree \ˈfi-lə-ˌgrē\

Definition of FILIGREE for Kids

:  decoration made of fine wire <a jewelry box with gold filigree>

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