embroider

English

Etymology

From Middle English embroudren, frequentative of embrouden, from Anglo-Norman embrouder, intensive of brosder, brouder (compare Norman broudaïr), from Gothic *𐌱𐍂𐌿𐌶𐌳𐍉𐌽 (*bruzdōn), blend of *bursta (“bristle”) and *brordōn (“to stitch”) (compare Old High German brortōn). More at bristle and brad.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈbɹɔɪdɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈbɹɔɪdə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔɪdə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: em‧broi‧der

Verb

embroider (third-person singular simple present embroiders, present participle embroidering, simple past and past participle embroidered)

1. To stitch a decorative design on fabric with needle and thread of various colours.
2. (figuratively) To add imaginary detail to a narrative to make it more interesting or acceptable.

Derived terms

• embroiderer
• embroideress
• embroidery
• reembroider

 

Translations

to stitch a decorative design on fabric with needle and thread

• Arabic:

  Egyptian Arabic: زركش (zarkaš)

• Armenian: ասեղնագործել (hy) (aseġnagorcel)
• Belarusian: гафтаваць impf (haftavacʹ), вы́гафтаваць pf (výhaftavacʹ)
• Bulgarian: бродирам (brodiram)
• Catalan: brodar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 刺繡／刺绣 (zh) (cìxiù)

• Czech: vyšívat
• Danish: brodere
• Dutch: borduren (nl)
• Esperanto: brodi (eo)
• Finnish: koruommella (fi), kirjailla (fi), kirjoa (fi)
• French: broder (fr)
• Friulian: strapongi
• Galician: bordar
• German: sticken (de)
• Greek: κεντάω (el) (kentáo)
• Hungarian: hímez (hu)
• Icelandic: sauma út, bródera, baldýra
• Ido: brodar (io)
• Ingrian: mišuroittaa
• Irish: bróidnigh, gréasaigh, spruigeáil
• Italian: ricamare (it)
• Japanese: 刺繍する (ja) (ししゅうする, shishū suru)
• Latin: acū pingo
• Latvian: izšūt
• Ligurian: recamâ
• Lithuanian: siuvinėti, išsiuvinėti
• Maori: tāniko
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: хатгамал хийх (xatgamal xiix)

  Mongolian: ᠬᠠᠳᠬᠤᠮᠠᠯ
  ᠬᠢᠬᠦ (qadqumal kikü)

• Norman: broder (Jersey), broudaïr (Guernsey)
• Norwegian: brodere (no)
• Polish: haftować (pl) impf, wyhaftować (pl) pf
• Portuguese: bordar (pt)
• Russian: вышива́ть (ru) impf (vyšivátʹ), вы́шить (ru) pf (výšitʹ)
• Slovene: vesti impf
• Spanish: bordar (es)
• Swedish: brodera (sv)
• Turkish: nakış işlemek (tr)
• Volapük: brodön (vo)
• Yiddish: העפֿטן (heftn)

to add imaginary detail to a narrative

• Bulgarian: разкрасявам (bg) (razkrasjavam)
• Dutch: aandikken (nl)
• Finnish: värittää (fi)
• French: broder (fr)
• German: ausschmücken (de)
• Greek: κεντάω (el) (kentáo)
• Italian: ricamare (it), abbellire (it), indorare
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: хачирлах (mn) (xačirlax)

  Mongolian: ᠬᠠᠴᠢᠷᠯᠠᠬᠤ (qačirlaqu)

• Polish: koloryzować (pl) impf, podkolorowywać impf, podkolorować pf
• Portuguese: florear (pt)
• Russian: приукра́шивать (ru) impf (priukrášivatʹ), приукра́сить (ru) pf (priukrásitʹ)
• Vietnamese: thêm mắm thêm muối

Further reading

• “embroider”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “embroider”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “embroider”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.