Meanings
plural tawdry laces
- obsoleteA silk ribbon or string worn as a necklace in the 16th and early 17th centuries.
Origin
Contraction of St. Audrey's lace, with reference to Saint Audrey or Æthelthryth/Æðelþryð (died 679), an Anglo-Saxon saint in whose honour a fair was held.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
tawdry lace. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tawdry%20lace
“tawdry lace.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tawdry%20lace. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tawdry lace,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tawdry%20lace.
Source: tawdry lace on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.