patchwork

C1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈpætʃˌwɝk/ UK /ˈpætʃwɜːk/ See IPA manual

Freq #37829

Meanings

1

noun
the craft or method of sewing differently shaped pieces of fabric together into a larger design

She learned patchwork by joining bright cotton scraps into geometric blocks.
2

noun
a quilt, garment, or other item made from pieces of fabric sewn together

Her grandmother folded the patchwork at the foot of the bed.
3

noun
a mixture or system assembled from varied, often ill-fitting parts

The final policy was a patchwork of local rules and temporary compromises.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the craft or method of... pieced workquilting

2 noun · a quilt, garment, or other... patchwork quiltpieced textile

3 noun · a mixture or system... hodgepodge mosaic jumble

Opposites

uniform wholecoherent system

Word family

Derived forms patchworky

Related forms patch quiltcollagepatchy

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

patchwork quilt
a quilt made by joining pieces of different fabrics

Noun + noun

Etymology

A compound of patch + work. Patch entered Middle English for a piece of material used in mending, while work is inherited from Old English. The literal name for sewing scraps into a whole later broadened to any arrangement made from disparate pieces, especially one lacking a single plan.

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# patchwork

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈpætʃˌwɝk/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈpætʃwɜːk/
**Frequency rank:** 37829

## Meanings
1. the craft or method of sewing differently shaped pieces of fabric together into a larger design
2. a quilt, garment, or other item made from pieces of fabric sewn together
3. a mixture or system assembled from varied, often ill-fitting parts

## Examples
- She learned patchwork by joining bright cotton scraps into geometric blocks.
- Her grandmother folded the patchwork at the foot of the bed.
- The final policy was a patchwork of local rules and temporary compromises.

## Synonyms
- pieced work
- patchwork quilt
- hodgepodge
- mosaic
- jumble

## Antonyms
- uniform whole
- coherent system

## Derived Forms
- patchworky

## Related Forms
- patch
- quilt
- collage
- patchy

## Etymology
A compound of patch + work. Patch entered Middle English for a piece of material used in mending, while work is inherited from Old English. The literal name for sewing scraps into a whole later broadened to any arrangement made from disparate pieces, especially one lacking a single plan.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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