Definition

1. Noun:

   • A soft, thin, light fabric with a crinkled surface: A textile characterized by its distinctive wrinkled or pebbled texture, often made from silk, wool, or synthetic fibers.
   • A small, very thin pancake: A type of thin, unleavened pancake, often associated with French cuisine.
   • Paper with a crinkled texture; usually colored and used for decorations: Crinkled paper, often in bright colors, used for party decorations and crafts.

2. Verb:

   • To cover or drape with crape: To adorn or cover something with a crepe fabric, often as a sign of mourning.
   • To crape (a surface): To give a crinkled texture to a surface, such as hair or a mirror.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Fabric):
  • She wore an elegant dress made of black crepe.
  • The designer prefers crepe for its fluid drape and texture.
• Noun (Pancake):
  • For breakfast, we had crepes with fresh berries and cream.
  • A savory crepe filled with ham and cheese is called a galette.
• Noun (Paper):
  • We hung streams of pink and white crepe for the birthday party.
  • The children made flowers out of colored crepe paper.
• Verb (To cover with crape):
  • In the 19th century, it was customary to crepe the door of a house in mourning.
• Verb (To texture):
  • The stylist can crepe your hair for a unique, voluminous look.

Advanced Usage

• "Crepe de Chine": A specific, fine, lightweight crepe fabric, traditionally made from silk.
  • Her scarf was made from luxurious crepe de Chine.
• "Crepe rubber": Rubber processed to have a crinkled, wrinkled texture, used for shoe soles.
  • The shoes have comfortable crepe rubber soles.

Variants and Related Words

• Crape (noun/verb): An alternative, often older spelling for "crepe," particularly when referring to the mourning fabric. The verb form "to crape" means to frizz or curl hair.
• Creperie (noun): A restaurant that specializes in making and serving crepes.
• Crepey (adjective): Describing skin that has a thin, wrinkled texture resembling crepe paper.
  • The lotion is designed for crepey skin on the arms.

Synonyms

• Fabric: Crinkled fabric, crape.
• Pancake: Thin pancake, French pancake, galette (for savory buckwheat crepes).
• Paper: Crinkle paper, party streamers.

Related Phrases

• "Crepe myrtle": A flowering shrub or small tree (genus ), named for the crinkled texture of its flowers.
  • The pink crepe myrtles are in full bloom.
• "Crepe sole": A shoe sole made from crepe rubber.
  • These desert boots feature a classic crepe sole.

Idioms

(No common idioms are centrally built around the word "crepe" itself.)

Noun

1. a soft thin light fabric with a crinkled surface
2. small very thin pancake
3. paper with a crinkled texture; usually colored and used for decorations

Verb

1. cover or drape with crape
   • crape the mirror