Draper Is a Trade That Barely Exists Any More
A draper sells cloth. The word survives mostly as a surname and on the fronts of very old shops.
A draper is a dealer in cloth and fabric. The trade was once so central that the Drapers' Company is one of the Great Twelve livery companies of the City of London. Ready-made clothing removed the need for most people to buy cloth by the yard, and the word now survives mainly in surnames, old shopfronts and company names.
- A cloth dealer. *The village draper.*
- Drapery — cloth goods, or hanging fabric. *Heavy drapery.*
- Drapes — curtains (American). *Close the drapes.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | draper | A local draper. |
| Plural | drapers | The drapers' guild. |
| Noun | drapery | Silk drapery. |
| American | drapes | Velvet drapes. |
| Verb | drape | Drape the cloth. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The Drapers' Company dates from 1364.A City of London livery company.
- Drapery hung from the ceiling.Fabric arranged in folds.
- Americans say drapes, Britons say curtains.Regional difference.
Old cloth trades
- Draper — dealer in cloth
- Mercer — dealer in fine fabrics, especially silk
- Haberdasher — seller of sewing items, or in America of menswear
- Fuller — one who cleaned and thickened woollen cloth
- Dyer — one who coloured it
From Old French *drapier*, from *drap*, cloth, from Late Latin *drappus*. The Drapers' Company received its charter in 1364.
Draper or haberdasher?
A draper sold cloth by length. A haberdasher sold small sewing items in Britain, and menswear in America.
Curtains or drapes?
Curtains is the British word. Drapes is American and often implies heavier lined fabric.