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drape (drāp)
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v. draped, drap·ing, drapes
v.tr.
1. To cover, hang, or decorate with cloth in loose folds: draped the coffin with a flag; a robe that draped her figure.
2. To arrange or let fall in loose folds: draping the banner from the balcony.
3. To hang or rest limply: draped my legs over the chair.
v.intr.
To fall or hang in loose folds: arranged the cloth to drape over the table legs.
n.
1. A drapery; a curtain.
2. A paper or cloth covering placed over a patient's body during medical examination or treatment, designed to provide privacy or a sterile operative field.
3. The way in which cloth falls or hangs: adjusted the drape of the gown.
[Middle English drapen, to weave, from Old French draper, from drap, cloth, from Late Latin drappus.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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