tawdry lace

/ˈtɔːdɹi leɪs/

noun

A silk ribbon or string worn as a necklace in the 16th and early 17th centuries.

Meanings

nountawdry lace (plural tawdry laces)

plural tawdry laces

  1. 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
APA

tawdry lace. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tawdry%20lace

MLA

“tawdry lace.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tawdry%20lace. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

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.