Ajoure

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A technique in art and design that incorporates cutouts to form delicate and artistic patterns in materials
2. An elaborate method of creating decorative motifs by removing sections from surfaces, often seen in textiles and metalwork
3. A decorative craftsmanship involving precision cutouts that create intricate designs in various materials, primarily used in aesthetics

Etymology: "Ajoure" is an English spelling of the French "ajouré", the past participle of "ajourer", meaning "to pierce or open-work". In French the word describes metalwork, lace or stonework that has been cut through so that light or background shows between the pattern, and English borrowed it in that same heraldic and decorative sense, usually to describe openwork designs such as pierced ornaments on armour or jewellery. The word's own history is simple: French built it from "a-" (to, toward) and "jour" (day), so the root image is of letting daylight into a surface. A cutout pattern literally admits the day through the object, which is why the same term serves both fine lacework and heraldic designs where the field shows through the charge.