ENGLISH DICTIONARYMeaning
(Ancient Greece) A peplos, an Ancient Greek garment formed of a tubular piece of cloth folded back upon itself halfway down so that the top of the tube is worn around the waist, and the bottom covers the legs down to the ankles; the open top is then worn over the shoulders, and draped, in folds, down to the waist. Compare the Roman palla..
Definitions by Sense
- (Ancient Greece) A peplos, an Ancient Greek garment formed of a tubular piece of cloth folded back upon itself halfway down so that the top of the tube is worn around the waist, and the bottom covers the legs down to the ankles; the open top is then worn over the shoulders, and draped, in folds, down to the waist. Compare the Roman palla.
- (Ancient Greece) A kind of women's outer garment in ancient Greece; a veil.
- (fashion) A short overskirt cut in such a way that the sides form points. [from 20th century]
- (fashion) A short overskirt attached to the waist of a garment; a basque.
- (uncountable) A genre of Italian films based on historical or biblical epics.
- (countable) An individual film in this genre.
Example Sentences
And this was Neith, or Athena, that God thus described, "I am all that was, is, and shall be, and my peplum or veil, no mortal could ever uncover." […] Peplum is properly a womanish pall or veil, embroidered all over and consecrated to Minerva.
1838: The North American Review, volume XLVII
The outer garment was called the peplum, and was used more for occasions of ceremony than for ordinary convenience, as it was very long and ample, and, from the manner of putting it on, must have been inconvenient to the wearer. It was sometimes wound double round the body, […]
Over this they adopted the Greek peplum, under the name of palla. This garment, however, was exclusively confined to the gentler sex, and was never worn, as was the peplum among the Greeks, by men.
[…] there were hastily produced B movies, such as the peplums, the spaghetti westerns, the detective stories, the horrors.
While it does offer a lighter tone than most peplums, and spotlights a hero who relies more on his wits than his biceps […]
Word Forms
Synonyms for peplum
Related Words
When Should You Use Peplum?
Use peplum when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Practice This Word
Frequently Asked Questions
What does peplum mean?
Peplum means (Ancient Greece) A peplos, an Ancient Greek garment formed of a tubular piece of cloth folded back upon itself halfway down so that the top of the tube is worn around the waist, and the bottom covers the legs down to the ankles; the open top is then worn over the shoulders, and draped, in folds, down to the waist. Compare the Roman palla..
What is a synonym for peplum?
Common synonyms include sword-and-sandal.
What is the opposite of peplum?
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
How do you use peplum in a sentence?
And this was Neith, or Athena, that God thus described, "I am all that was, is, and shall be, and my peplum or veil, no mortal could ever uncover." […] Peplum is properly a womanish pall or veil, embroidered all over and consecrated to Minerva.
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.