napery

N1A1P3E1R1Y4

noun

Household linen, especially table linen.

Scrabble 11

Meanings

nounnapery (countable and uncountable, plural naperies)

plural naperies

  1. countableuncountableHousehold linen, especially table linen.

    She led the way through a wide hall into a charming room, where a table was already spread in its dainty napery and silver.

    1902, Josephine Spenser, Corner in Chrysanthemums
    2 more examples

    Many will have pleasing recollections of the attractive effect, especially on a winter evening, of a dining car or Pullman train, with its shaded table-lamps throwing their light on napery, cutlery, and glass to give a heartening picture of well-being.

    1949 September and October, “The New Tavern Cars”, in Railway Magazine, page 282

    Banter and low laughter swayer about the huge tent, swayed among the shadows thrown by the brilliant candelabra pendant on their inverted stems above the white napery of the central table.

    1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber, published 1992, page 106

Synonyms & antonyms

nounlinens for the dining table

Broader
Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Frenchnape
  2. Middle Frenchnaperie
  3. Anglo-Normannaperie
  4. Middle Englishnaperie
  5. Englishnapery

From Middle English naperie, from Anglo-Norman naperie, Middle French naperie, from Old French nape + -erie.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

napery. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/napery

MLA

“napery.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/napery. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “napery,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/napery.

Source: napery on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.