What does "filigree" mean?

A delicate and intricate ornamentation made from platinum, gold or silver (or sometimes other metal) twisted wire.

What is a synonym for "filigree"?

Common synonyms include: arabesque, basketry, basketwork, bead, bejewel, beribbon.

noun, verb

noun, verb ·3 syllables ·Moderate ·College level

Noun

1
A delicate and intricate ornamentation made from platinum, gold or silver (or sometimes other metal) twisted wire. countable, uncountable
"To carry pure death in an earring, a casket, / A signet, a fan-mount, a filigree basket!"
2
delicate and intricate ornamentation (usually in gold or silver or other fine twisted wire) wordnet
3
Anything resembling such intricate ornamentation. broadly, countable, uncountable
"But why speak about her? It is probable that we shall not hear of her again from this moment to the end of time, and that when the great filigree iron gates are once closed on her, she and her awful sister will never issue therefrom into this little world of history."

Verb

1
To decorate something with intricate ornamentation made from gold or silver twisted wire. transitive
2
make filigree, as with a precious metal wordnet

"To carry pure death in an earring, a casket, / A signet, a fan-mount, a filigree basket!"

From French filigrane, from Italian filigrana, from Latin fīlum (“thread”) + grānum (“grain”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.