Meanings
nounpelmet (plural pelmets)
plural pelmets
- A decorative item that is placed above a window to hide the curtain mechanisms, visually similar to a cornice or valance.
The pelmets and mirrors, the spotlights and blinds, seemed rich in criticism.
2004, Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty […], London: Picador, →ISBN1 more example
Sun blinds (recessed in a pelmet) were provided for all windows, except in the corridors.
1979 August, Graham Burtenshaw, Michael S. Welch, “O.V.S. Bulleid's SR loco-hauled coaches - 1”, in Railway World, page 398
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna decorative framework to conceal curtain fixtures at the top of a window casing
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchpalmette
- Englishpelmet
Perhaps a modification of French palmette.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
German Karniese, Kölner Brett
- KarnieseTranslations
- Kölner BrettTranslations
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
pelmet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pelmet
MLA
“pelmet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pelmet. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pelmet,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pelmet.
Source: pelmet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.