A heavy woven cloth, often with decorative pictorial designs, normally hung on walls.
"The ancient tapestry depicted scenes from mythology and was carefully mounted on the stone wall of the castle hall."
In plain English: A tapestry is a large, decorative piece of cloth made by weaving colored threads together to create an intricate picture or design.
"The old building featured an intricate tapestry hanging above the fireplace."
Usage: The noun form refers specifically to the physical object and is rarely used metaphorically in casual speech, whereas "mosaic" or "collage" might better convey similar visual complexity in modern contexts. Avoid using it as a verb unless describing literal wall decoration; for figurative meanings like "a complex mix of experiences," prefer phrases such as "rich tapestry."
To decorate with tapestry, or as if with a tapestry.
"The ancient hall was draped in velvet to be adorned like a rich tapestry."
In plain English: To tapestry something means to cover it with woven fabric, though this usage is very rare and usually people just mean making or hanging a decorative wall covering instead.
"The artist hopes to tape together her memories with photos from old albums."
The word tapestry entered English through the path of Middle and Old French before reaching us from Ancient Greek. Its ultimate roots lie in an ancient Iranian language, where it originally referred to a type of woven fabric or rug.