drape

Think of cloth falling in soft folds. To drape something means to place or hang it so it falls loosely and naturally. You might drape a scarf around your neck or drape a blanket over a chair. It can also describe how something hangs on its own: "The vines draped across the archway."

The word is also used as a noun. A drape can be a curtain or another piece of hanging cloth, and it can also mean the way fabric falls on a person or object. The idea can stretch beyond cloth too: fog may seem to drape over hills, or someone may be described as draped in velvet. In each case, the sense is of a soft covering or a flowing fall.

To drape means to hang or place fabric, or something like it, so it falls loosely in folds. The idea is not of something pulled tight, but of something resting in a soft, natural way. For example: "She draped a shawl over her shoulders," or "The artist draped cloth over the statue."

As a verb, it often suggests an intentional arrangement, especially for beauty, comfort, or display, but it can also describe how something hangs by itself. A vine might drape across a wall, or fog might drape over a mountain. The word is also used in a figurative way for a mood or feeling that seems to spread over a place, as in "sadness draped over the room."

As a noun, a drape can mean a curtain, especially a long, loose one, or any hanging cloth used for covering or decoration. It can also mean the way fabric falls: people talk about the drape of a dress, a coat, or a piece of silk. Whether you are describing cloth on a body, fabric over furniture, vines on a wall, or fog over a landscape, the word usually carries the idea of a loose, flowing, covering shape.