Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
cutwork

cutwork

1 9.8
A form of embroidery where someone cuts away parts of the cloth to make a pattern
  • noun
  • /ˈkʌtˌwɜrk/
  • Specialized
: bordado recortado
  • She spent hours perfecting the cutwork on the embroidery, carefully removing the fabric between the stitches.
  • cutwork embroidery
  • cutwork parterre

Examples

  • Finally, a few plain ones, damask and linen cutwork.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The punch pattern on the scroll will be translated into the cutwork animation titled Automatic Expressions, a phrase lifted from the Ampico Piano Company's owner's manual posted inside the piano cover.

    Blog text (24)

  • The table was beautifully adorned with a cutwork tablecloth that showcased intricate designs.

  • The artist displayed a stunning cutwork that highlighted the delicate patterns against the fabric.

How Intricate

lace
80 2.0
cutwork
  • Specialized
1 9.8
openwork
1 8.0
embroidery
20 4.7

Surface Forms

cutwork singular
cutworks plural

Morphology

cutwork = cut + work (transparent) = cut + work

The term denotes a kind of 'work' involving 'cutting', so the meaning is directly recoverable from its parts.

Etymology

Cutwork comes from the simple words cut and work, so it literally means 'work' done by 'cutting'. It is a kind of embroidery where the pattern is sewn and the fabric between the stitched outlines is cut away, so the name tells you exactly how it is made.