trappings

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the outward signs, accessories, or equipment associated with a role, rank, or activity

   The ceremony retained all the trappings of monarchy, including robes and a gilded coach.

2. 2
   noun

   historical: decorative coverings or harness for a horse

   The knight's horse wore crimson trappings embroidered with gold thread.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Trappings ultimately goes back to Latin drappus, meaning “cloth,” and is unrelated to traps for catching animals. In the 14th century, trappings were an ornamental harness for a horse; the word later came to mean the outward signs or objects associated with a particular role or job.

The plural of trapping, originally an ornamental covering or harness for a horse. The word broadened from decorative horse equipment to clothing and accessories, then figuratively to the visible signs and ceremonial apparatus associated with status or an activity.

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary