Valanced

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Involving an ornamental edge that extends downward in furnishings
2. Featuring a decorative border that hangs down from the edge of a surface, often used in curtains or furniture
3. Having an ornamental fringe or border that drapes downward along the edge of fabric or upholstery

Etymology: "Valanced" is the past participle or adjectival form of "valance," so its story is really the story of the decorative hanging it describes. The noun "valance" entered English in the late Middle Ages, and the form "valansid," from which "valanced" descends, was already in use in Middle English, showing that the adjective grew out of the noun almost as soon as the noun was established. The word's name is a little mysterious. Its ultimate origin is uncertain, though it is often connected with the Old French word "avaler," meaning to lower or let down, which fits the idea of a fabric that hangs from a higher edge. Whatever its precise route, the sense of something dropping down from above has stayed constant. The suffix "-ed" simply turns the noun into an adjective meaning "furnished with" or "decorated with," so a "valanced" bed is one fitted with a valance, much as a "fringed" shawl has fringe. The formation is plain, but it shows how readily English turned a furnishing term into a descriptive word.

Synonyms: decorated, trimmed