Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Orphrey
Or′phrey
,Noun.
[See
Orfrays
.] A band of rich embroidery, wholly or in part of gold, affixed to vestments, especially those of ecclesiastics.
Pugin.
Definition 2024
orphrey
orphrey
English
Alternative forms
- orfrey
- orphray
Noun
orphrey (plural orphreys)
- (obsolete) Any elaborate embroidery, especially made of gold thread. [14th-19th c.]
- (Christianity) An embroidered ornamental band or border on an ecclesiastical vestment, altar frontal, etc. [from 15th c.]
- 1890, Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, ch. XI:
- The orphreys were divided into panels representing scenes from the life of the Virgin, and the coronation of the Virgin was figured in coloured silks upon the hood.
- 1890, Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, ch. XI:
References
- “orphrey” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.